What We See
by Kitsunegirls
Summary: Sakura and Naruto grew up together - but not in Konoha. Naruto was brought to Sakura's Tribe from the village that hated the Demon Fox. Now Sakura and Naruto must return to Konoha in order to expand the 'Sight'. Eventaully NaruHina and SakuNeji.
1. Sight

Sight

disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any characters or Marked I do own the plot, though!

Sight

_As dawn turns to dusk;_

_As light turns to dark;_

_We wait and watch; _

_Hold your sword close; _

_And steady your heart for creatures draw nearer;_

_We must be strong we must not fear;_

_We must only open our eyes;_

_And welcome these strange things;_

_For they live among us just as we live among them;_

Since I was a little girl this poem has always been my favorite, I've memorized word for word. Because I know it's true, _they_ live among us just as we live among them. They are most commonly called no-faces. But commonly, seems to big a word, to describe how many people know about them. It's not that there are few of them it's just that people haven't open they're eyes to them. I mean out of the billions of people, (ninja and civilians) only 500,000 people out of 3 tribes can still see the no-faces.

The elders who teach us the ancient jutsu and whisperings of our ancestors have told us that there was a time when all people where open to the no-faces existence, and could see and live with them just as we do.

But don't get me wrong the no-faces are everywhere; people just can't see them anymore. That's where we come in; we of the Haruno, Tenshi and Shinigami tribes come in. We work slowly trying to help people open there eyes to a forgotten world, but we can't force them. Some understand, and their eyes are opened. Some don't, and they remain blind for their life. We can only watch and wait, wait for them to see...

"Sakura! Quit your daydreaming- we have to go!" I blinked a few times, the world finally coming back to me. That's right...lessons were today. I stood and stretched easily. "Sakura-chan, hurry up! The elders will kill us if we're late again!" Blondie – as I call him – yelled at me, standing with his hands on his hips, clearly impatient. I laughed slightly. "You look really stupid, you know. Alright, let's go." Running towards him, I gave him a playful shove. "Sakura-chan, wait!" He dashed after me, catching up easily. We walked in silence to the elder's home- there would be plenty of time to talk later, after the lessons. "Glad you're finally on time," A voice said dryly. I looked up into the face of Kyo, my teacher. He was at least 180 years old, and that was considered young by the elder's standards. It may seem old to outsiders, but because of our bonds with the earth and demons, some live unnaturally long lives. Even though Blondie and I are both 15, we're considered hardly older than young children. "We're sorry, sensei," We both said in union, bowing our heads in respect. "Well, might as well come in, even though there are no lessons today." After he said this, we both stood there, mouths gaping like fish. I had to run here for _nothing?_ "Before you say anything, although there are no lessons today, you two are going to be informed of an important decision we have made. Come," He said, disappearing back into the house. We followed quietly.

When we entered the gathering room, our council of elders, was already seated. Both Blondie and I bowed respectfully. For once I could see seriousness in Blondie's eyes. "Sakura and Naruto, you two have been chosen to travel far to become ninja of Konoha, to help spread our beliefs and to help open their eyes." I stood in shock, while Blondie, who originally came from Konoha, looked up. His fists clenched in anger. "I mean no disrespect, but why are you sending us there, to the people who shunned me?" His face looked cold and cruel. "Naruto you must do this in order for you to truly open eyes. You must face your fears." "What's the point in that I can already see the no-faces!" he said his voice cold with a burning hate in it. "How dare you question our judgment1 if you can not a bid by our laws then leave this village!" an elder said daring Naruto to question them again. Naruto remained quiet for the rest of the meeting, not saying a word. After the meeting was over, we walked home. He still seemed so distant. I had never seen him like this since he first came to us at 7 years of age, alone and afraid. "Hey, Naruto, cheer up! I'll buy you some ramen, alright?" He looked up and smiled sadly at me. "Sure, but you better be prepared, because after this, your wallet is going to be pretty empty." I gulped- I knew how much Naruto could eat. Giving me a foxy grin, he ran ahead of me to his favorite food stand. Good. The kid looked happier already.

--later that day—

After going out to eat, doing some training and getting our things packed we were exhausted. Naruto and I lay on the floor of my bedroom; he was currently drawing a bowl of ramen on my arm. He seemed very content at the fact he had pretty much wiped out my wallet. "So," He began wearily, "We're going back to my home town huh?" The Question was more asked to himself than me. But I decided to answer him anyway, "Yeah I guess we are...hey can I ask you something?" "Yeah I guess what is it?" his eyes were now looking at me instead of the new fox he was drawing on my arm. "What was it like in Konoha?" "It was filled with drunks and asses who couldn't tell a boy from a fox, that's what it's like," After he said this I instinctively knew what he was talking about, but I wasn't going to give up that easily. "No Naruto you're telling about the people, I want know to what it's like," He wasn't looking at me anymore when he said "What the hell is the difference?" "I mean, is it pretty with lots of trees, and flowers. Are there lots of medics?" I asked in a softer voice. "Well I guess there are a lot of plants and stuff, I'm not sure about how many medics there are...God why do you have to ask such complicated questions?" "It's not complicated at all though," "Well I didn't exactly, have time to look into that stuff when I was getting a beating or running for my life," He said angrily at the memories, I think he may have been crying 'cause he turned his back to me.

After a few moments of, complete silence I saw Kyo-sensei come to the door. "Sakura, Naruto There is something we need to discuss, immediately," After he caught a quick glance at Naruto he softly added "So I expect both of you to meet me in the commons in 5 minutes," although the sternness hadn't left his voice I could tell that he defiantly, was a lot softer than he used to be. I propped myself up on my elbows and let out a tired sigh. "Hey, neko sorry, 'bout snapping at you... you know I don't mean it right? I-I mean I just don't want to see you hurt...especially not by them" "chill fox-boy I know you didn't mean anything, so quit your babbling," I said smiling at his nick-name for me. Saying this was like breaking a spell on Naruto, he went from mopping around like an emo to giving me his signature, foxy grin. "But we better hurry other wise, Kyo-sensei will murder us," I said, he returned my words with a nod before darting out of the room. I quickly got up and went after him, after all what I said wasn't that much of an exaggeration; Kyo-sensei was not someone you want to piss off.

We made it to the commons,-which were basically like a giant living room, but because Kyo-sensei is so old fashioned, he calls it the commons-and found that it was filled with all our friends, and tons of other people, some of which are the most poweful people I have ever known. "Oh my god," I said, Naruto who was also having a similar reaction, nodded dumbly. Suddenly everyone turned to us as we walked towards them, they, grinned, and told us words of "good luck", and shook our hand. Okay so maybe it's not that shocking that our friends and family would do this but like I said there were other people, ridiculously strong, or smart people. One of which was Naomi Toga the incredibly smart, seal mistress and a poet, (the one who wrote my favorite poem,) but most of all she is my idol.

Then she saw me and, began to walk towards me, I mean me of all people, there were tons of other smarter, people of the room and she was walking towards me. "I hear your a fan of mine am I right?" To shocked and excited at the same time, I did the idiot thing and nodded my have up and down so fast I thought it might come of. "Yeah, I mean yes I a-am a fan of yours," I said quickly stumbling over my words, god I am such an idiot, some one just shoot me now, groaning mentally at my idiotic-ness, which probably isn't a word, I forced my self to swallow the lump in my throat an continued. "I mean your like, one of the most powerful women I can think of, and I just love your work especially your poem,_ Sight_" I told her, "Really? Well that's strange most people don't like that one much, saying it's to simple, and that it's so obvious." she told me and I was quickly reacted without thinking, snapping my head up I looked at her and said,

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," people had begun to stare at me now, I guess I didn't realize how loud I was being but I didn't stop myself from continuing, "Isn't the whole point of that poem to be simple? I mean what your saying is all based on how we live, so I think the best features, of the poem is that it's simple, and not some riddle that takes forever, to find out," Now nearly everyone in the room was staring at me, I felt the blood rush to my face, making me look like a tomato.

Naomi looked at me for a second before a grin made its way to her beautiful face. "That's exactly what I thought when I wrote it," She said her voice was so soothing and it seemed to take away all the tension in the room. And soon enough everyone in the room went back to their own conversation, well everyone except for one scrawny looking man who came up to Naomi and whispered something in her ear. Naomi nodded at him before looking at me again and saying, "I'm sorry but I must be leaving," she paused here to study my face before continuing. "Keep your friends close, young cherry blossom, and remember light is not always good as dark is not always evil," She flashed me a small smile before weaving her way through the crowd, and out the door.

I felt as though a warm atmosphere had wrapped around me, it made me feel good and relaxed. I shook myself from my thoughts and began to mingle with other guest, and found my friends who I stayed with for most of the night-or at least I tried to. "Man, neko-chan, You keep getting dragged away from us I'm starting to think they're doing it on purpose," Geminia, my best friend, told me, sighing, and shaking his head, the others of our little group of friends nodded in agreement. "Yeah, they probably don't want to see me hanging out with a bunch of bums like you," "Now that was just plain mean, neko. What have we ever done to you?" Izumi, another member of our gang asked. I had a million of the most embarrassing things they had done to me going through my mind, but I decided to be mean and say, "Oh you haven't done anything to me or any other girl in that matter." Izumi went red and we all shared a laugh at his expense.

"What exactly is so funny?" Kyo-sensei asked his eyebrow raised, "Nothing," we all half said, half shouted in unison. Shaking his head Kyo-sensei looked at us-or more specifically me and Naruto, he held out 2 kimonos and said, "Well, you better put these on quickly, because you stick out like a sore thumb." After he said this, the realization hit me that everyone,-including our gang- was dressed in the traditional kimono, and suddenly a large blush of embarrassment hit me, making my face all hot. Naruto and I had showered when we got back but we dressed in a pair of our training outfits. Grabbing the kimonos, we both split the separate ways to our bedrooms.

It took me a good 20 minutes to get to my bedroom and change into the kimono. The majority of the time I spent trying to tie the evil obi around my waist. Whoever created a kimono like this is obviously a sadist. I took a quick look at myself, straightening out the kimono before opening the door and leaving. I tried to hurry back to the commons, but unfortunately, the sadist that created the obi also decided that there was no leg room allowed in the kimono. **'We should, like, go back in time and kill whoever made the kimono like this! Shannaro!' **'Yeah, like we could ever do that, stupid,' **'You know you want to...' **Mentally, I punched my inner self. Kami knows why she's in my head.

Quickly, I scuttled back to the commons - hopefully, no one would notice that I had gone. However, when I got back everyone was pretty much gone; accept for my family and friends. Oh, the irony. Giving a deep sigh, I returned to my group of friends – Naruto hadn't even bothered to change. Instead, he had gotten his iPod from his room – for once, he had made a smart choice. I walked back to my group of friends, and for the rest of the night we cracked stupid jokes, laughed at each other, and hid the despair of having to be separated. We had known each other for so many years – and now just the thought of leaving them for so much time to be with a group of strangers who were supposed to be our "comrades" and "friends". Occasionally throughout the night I saw relatives from my fathers side, the Tenshi Tribe, and my mothers, the Shinigami Tribe.

--Later--

It was about midnight when Naruto and I finally got to sleep. And for the first time in so many years, I cried extremely hard. I cried until it felt as if I had no tears left. This was my home – everything I knew was here, and now leaving was probably the scariest thing I would face when I'm not on the battlefield. Finally my mind got too tired to think about leaving, and I drifted off into a deep sleep.


	2. Kohona

disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any characters I do own the plot, though!

Chapter 2: Konoha

Morning came way too soon.

I was woken up by Naruto prodding my shoulder with a stick. Wait a minute- where the hell did the stick come from?! "Sakura, get up! We have to go say our goodbyes." The kid looked really unhappy- even worse than that first night when we found out we had to leave. I sat up groggily, rubbing my eyes. "Where did you get that damn stick?" He glanced down at his hand. "Oh. This," Naruto said, before chucking it out the open window.

We dressed quickly and got our already packed packs before leaving my bedroom for the last time. I wouldn't be seeing it for a while, which sucked, because I had just gotten my room the way I wanted it- oh, the irony. We made our way down to the commons, quickly ate, and headed towards the gates. Already all the elders and our friends were there, waiting for us. I looked at Naruto – it almost looked as if he was trying not to cry. Izumi, Geminia, and Ami were all standing there, along with Kyo-sensei and a whole assload of other people who I won't bother to name.

Naruto and I looked at each other for a second before running towards everyone. We exchanged few words and there was an eerie saddened silence. It matched my mood perfectly. "Hey neko-chan, I made something for you and fox," Ami said trying to keep her voice from breaking. Then she held up two large packages. "You can open them when you get to Kohona, 'kay? ... Just don't forget about us, and call me soon!" I took a deep breath and thanked her with a hug that lasted for several minutes. Neither of us wanted to break the hug, because I knew both of us felt like crying, and breaking apart might just make us start. But we both knew we couldn't do that- it was like an unspoken code. It wasn't a law of our village – it was our code to stay strong, no matter what – and for us to start crying in public would be like breaking the code. I hadn't cried since...well, last night, but no one knew about that, so it was acceptable.

Gently, I pulled away, smiling gently. "I won't forget you," I promised with a nod, before moving on to stand before Izumi. "Hey, watch Blondie for me, will ya? He's stupid and will probably end up getting himself killed, so watch out for him, 'kay?" Said blonde gave a little "Hey!" of protest before smiling. "And you, idiot, stay away from the girls, mainly Ami. I don't want you corrupting her pure mind." "Sakura, my pureness is already tainted with my bi-ness." She gave me a grin, playfully whacking Izumi over the head. It would be so hard without them near me – but at least I had Naruto. Ami then handed me her mysterious presents. "Remember, don't open these till you get to Konoha," She said mock sternly, and I knew that this was her last goodbye. Finally we moved on to Geminia.

His hands were shoved deep into his pockets, looking cool as always. He said, "I'll see you guys later, 'kay? Keep your head in the fight, no matter what. And when you get back, you can help us destroy the Shadow Seekers." They were a rival gang that we had been fighting with for years, and it was so like him to think about gang fights at a time like this. I gave him a small smile, and so did Naruto. "Alright, we have to get moving to make good time. Konoha is weeks worth of travel away, and I want to reach the mountains by nightfall." Typical. Oh well, at least Kyo-sensei was organized. If it weren't for him, we'd probably loose all our things, get lost, or both.

"Wait!" I turned to see Ami, Geminia and Izumi. "What is it?" "Sakura, we know we have to make more allies, especially if we want to spread our beliefs, so we thought...if you find someone who you can really trust...you should give him this." Izumi said. He pulled out a sword –sheathed, but I knew whose it was. The color of the sheath was a light, bright blue, with a silver dragon wrapping around it – the emblem of our gang. It was Yukihiko's sword.

We always called him Yuki for short, and he was Izumi's older brother – an amazing warrior and friend. I still missed him after all these years – although he had been dead for 2, years. I couldn't help it as my eyes began to water, but I blinked back my tears. I took the sword gently, knowing how much it meant to Izumi. Carefully, I unzipped the opening to my pack and set the sword among a bundle of other scrolls that held my personal belongings. We had sealed them to make our packs lighter and travel easier- we needed a lot of stuff and Konoha was a long way away.

--Nightfall--

We did end up making it to the base of the mountain by nightfall, and now we were resting, a fire going in the middle of our makeshift shelter. Naruto was quiet, even during dinner, instead of being the total slob he is, wolfing down his food. Instead, he was quiet and ate slowly. It reminded me of when he first came to us...

_Flashback_

"_Sakura, come here! There's someone I want you to meet." Kyo-sensei's voice called into my room. "Coming!" I called back, jumping up and rushing to where he was. Visitors were very rare in my village, so new people were always neat. I spotted Kyo-sensei, and he was alone. "Well?" I asked impatiently, putting my hands on my hips. "Where is this person?" Kyo-sensei merely gave me a look and stepped to the side. A small blonde-haired boy stood where Kyo just had been. He had wide, timid blue eyes and his blonde hair was wild and dirty. "This is Naruto," Kyo-sensei explained. "He's an orphan, just like you," He said softly. I stared at this 'Naruto'. "You bought me a boy?" I asked, excited. He could be, like...my servant! Possibilities were opening up in my eyes. "No, Sakura. He's going to live with us from now on, and I'll be teaching him, like I am you." I frowned – darn. I was totally hoping for a servant. "Oh," I said dumbly, suddenly curious. "Why did you bring him here? Why is he so special?" Kyo-sensei was quiet for once. "That is something Naruto will tell you when he is ready. Now, let's eat, shall we? We're having ramen." Naruto smiled timidly, and suddenly I knew that we would be friends._

_End Flashback_

"Are you alright?" I asked Naruto softly, shaking away the memories. He glanced up from his food and nodded. "Yea. Just...nervous." He went back to his food, and finished his bowl of ramen. I could tell he was really nervous, because he only ate one bowl – Naruto usually ate like, 12 bowls of ramen. We said our goodnights and one by one turned to our sleeping bags. I could tell I was still the only one awake, and that got me thinking again. What would it be like in Konoha? Would they know anything about the Sight? I remembered when Naruto and I had our first lesson together...

_Flashback_

_Naruto and I grew to be at a comfortable level with each other, although he was always very quiet and didn't talk much. He did eat a lot, though, and it seemed to please him that he could eat as much as he wanted without being told 'no'. After living with us for 3 weeks, Kyo-sensei approached us and informed us that we would be having our first lesson together – we would be learning about the Sight, what it is, and its origins. I was really excited - although I had the Sight, this lesson would be a new one. "Sakura, the Sight isn't near to your. You have it, so I'd like to know what the Sight is." I took a breath and said, "The Sight is the ability to see no-faces." Kyo-sensei nodded slowly. "Good job, but Naruto doesn't have the Sight. He doesn't know what a no-face is. Could you tell him?" This stumped me. How do you explain what a no-face is? I stopped a moment and thought carefully. When I had my answer I turned to Naruto and said, "No-faces are souls of humans or demans who haven't been able to move on from this world. Kind of like really angry people – ghosts, if you will." Kyo-sensei looked at me before shaking his head. "You're partly right, but not all no-faces are stuck here because of anger or revenge. Some willingly remain, or just have unfinished business they need to take care of. That's part of the Sight – being able to see the no-faces. It also means you have a better understanding of the world. When you obtain the full Sight, and when you face the obstacles to truly understand the Sight, you are granted with the gift of the Spirit Tongue – being able to talk in an ancient language that demons and humans used to use, and what the no-faces still use now. Do you understand, Naruto?" Kyo-sensei asked now facing Naruto. Naruto nodded slowly. And from there the lessons just got more and more complicated. _

_End Flashback_

I finally managed to drift off to sleep.

Over the next few weeks, we continued to travel, stopping in a few villages here and there to get food, weapons, and more supplies. We may have only been gone a month, but I was already sorely missing my friends and family. Naruto's birthday came, and he turned 16, and although Kyo-sensei and I were happy, for some odd reason, he wasn't too overly happy. I never understood why the kid hated his birthday – he acted the same way every year, always really quiet and not too happy. And now his quiet behavior was even worse without our friends.

About a week after his birthday we reached Konoha. Naruto's mood sunk into something almost mirroring depression, and it really worried me. I tried my hardest to cheer him up. "Hey, Naruto, let's go get something to eat, 'kay? You can pick where." He seemed to brighten a bit – the food trick always worked. Naruto then led me around the city looking for a Ramen place call Ichiraku Ramen. "Hey look there it is!" He yelled happily- did this kid think of anything but ramen? I snapped out of my thoughts when he grabbed my hand and led me towards the ramen stand. Kyo-sensei had gone to report to the kage of the village leaving us some money for dinner. Although being in Konoha had made him sad, this particular ramen stand seemed to cheer up his mood immensely.

We plopped down on the stools, and a kind-looking old man came over. "Can I help you?" Naruto, being himself, ordered 7 bowls of ramen. I settled for just one bowl. By the time I finished my one bowl, Naruto had cleaned his 7. "Sakura, can I have more?" He asked hopefully, eyes shining. I sighed. My wallet was going to be empty soon, but I nodded, and grinning, he ordered another 5 bowls. The chef seemed a bit surprised when this one kid downed 12 bowls of ramen, but he looked happy with the business he had made. "I haven't seen anyone eat like you for years!" He said with a chuckle, collecting the empty bowls. Naruto stopped and got very, very quiet.

"Really? And who was that?" "His name was Uzumaki Naruto, and boy, that kid could eat! I sure got some good business from him." "Nani?! You mean that you ate this much back then as you do now?" My eyes were wide with amazement – this kid was a bottomless pit! "Wait a second, you mean...Oh my god, Naruto, you're back? Then I'm back in business!" Naruto looked at the old man, and gave him a sheepish grin. "Yea, I'm back, alright." Naruto and I now spent the next 20 minutes chatting with the shop owner, and it seemed as if the two were old friends. When we finally left the ramen stand, we began wandering around the city until Kyo-sensei found us and took us to our apartment. We unpacked some blankets and a movie we had packed away in our scrolls, only to fall asleep from the exhaustion.


	3. The Green Beasts of Konoha

Chapter 3: The Green Beasts of Kohona

**author's note: This was written at like 1:44am so yeah there might be a few mistakes, oh and all standard disclaimers apply!**

Chapter 3: The Green Beasts of Kohona

Naruto went out with Kyo-sensei in the morning, or a least that's what the note I found said. Thankfully it also said I was allowed to explore the village all day as long as I was home by dinner which hopefully wouldn't be ramen. I put the note down, and headed back towards my bedroom, which was still unbelievably bare. I sighed - I had a lot of work to do to make this room my new domain. I missed my old room, my cozy bed...oh well, can't turn back time now. I walked over to my pack and pulled out a scroll, then stopped seeing Yukihiko's sword and Ami's present. I gently pulled out the sword, my fingers brushing over it gently. I spent a few moments tracing the pattern, "_If you find someone who you can really trust...You should give him this," _Izumi's words ran through my head. Maybe I would find someone who I could pass the sword to, maybe not today, but someday.

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts I put the sword down on the floor, and took out Ami's nearly forgotten present. The package was large, but weighed next to nothing. I quickly tore off the wrapping and opened the box. I couldn't help but smile. Inside were several new training outfits, designed by Ami herself. Gingerly I took out one of the outfits and tried it on - it was a perfect fit. The outfit was consisted of a red short sleeved jacket that had white stripes down the shoulders, down the zipper in the front and on the hem line, and at the end of the sleeves. Underneath that was a black halter top made of a thin – but not to thin - material that let my skin breathe in the heat. It also came with some black shorts and a red belt that had loops to hold my senbon needles. Finally, a pair of black cargo strap-up boots finished up the set. I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled. Ami knew exactly what I liked, and this definitely fit that category. I mentally told her thanks, reminding myself to give her a big hug when we got back.

Curious, I took a peek at Naruto's package. He also had an outfit, but I decided to leave it in the package. I could see it when he got to open it. Now dressed, I opted for going to explore – after all, Kyo-sensei did say I could. I walked outside to a bright, sunny day. Squinting, I looked around – where to start? I decided to take a birds eye view of things by jumping up to the roof tops and jumping from roof top to roof top. After about 20 minutes of wandering around I was about to jump down and go to the ground but then I spotted a large part of land that had no homes or markets but the ground was obviously worn down, and used. The first thing that ran through my mind was that it is a training ground, so jumping to a tree I decided to check it out and train a bit. After all I did need to burn off some stress.

When I got down my suspicions were confirmed as I saw the sign it read 'Training Ground 10'. I took a deep breath and flared my chakra up a bit; it would be nice to practice some jutsu again. I was just readying to practice some earth jutsus, when I noticed a green blob near to the tree line, nearly invisible because of the matching colors. Curious, I let my chakra fade before I jogged over. It was...a person?! He was obviously passed out from exhaustion. I could tell, and I was proud – medical things had been my favorite back at the village. I gently shook his shoulder. "Hey, are you alright? Wake up." He didn't stir. I rolled over the poor kid, who looked to be about my age or a bit older. He had a horrible bowl-cut hairstyle, and his hair was black. He had thick, bushy eyebrows that really creeped me out, but he seemed ok accept for the fact that he was, well...passed out. I fished around in my bag before finding a small towel, and walked to the small stream nearby. I dunked the thing, shook it a bit before wiping the kid's face. He stirred slightly, and I said, louder, "Hey, are you ok? Can you hear me?" His eyes opened, and he sat up.

"Wha...what?" He seemed a bit confused. "You passed out," I explained, sitting down next to him. "What? Oh! Then I am in your debt, beautiful girl. May I ask your name?" I flushed slightly. "Sakura, my name is Haruno Sakura." He nodded slowly. "I am Rock Lee, and I am in your debt for helping me! Thank you, Sakura-san!" I stood and helped pull him up, brushing off my clothes before I heard someone calling, "Lee, where are you?" I glanced towards him. "Is someone looking for you?" He grinned, doing a really creepy and crazy thumbs-up pose.

"That would be my team!! Let me introduce you to them." He bounded over to them happily, calling, "Neji, Tenten!! Come meet my new friend Sakura-san!" He met with two other people who looked to be the same age as him, one a boy and one a girl. "Sakura-san, this is Hyuuga Neji and Takahashi Tenten!" "Hn," the boy – Neji - said at Lee's excitement. "Yosh! My eternal rival you should show more respect to Sakura-san - she saved my life! Without her I may have never woken, and would never be able to spread the youthfulness of Gai-sensei's teachings!" I looked Lee over and saw tears were spilling from his eyes. Why do I meet all the weird guys? "Yosh! What is up my youthful students? Are you ready for your training with me the beautiful - and also hipper than Kakashi – the Green Beast of Kohona?!" Okay, Lee was weird with the green spandex suit and orange leg warmers, but this guy was just plain creepy. "Gai-sensei I will always be ready to train with you!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

Wow.

I stood and watched as both green clad ninja, hugged each other tightly and screamed each others names. The way I was describing it made it sound like sex, but it was 10 times worse to watch, but I wouldn't know...ANYWAY!

It took about 5 minutes, but finally Lee and Gai-san managed to stop calling each other names. I glanced over at Tenten and Neji, who were both convulsively twitching, a horrified look on each of their faces. "I...will...never...get used to that." Neji spoke, and he conveyed exactly what we were all thinking. I can't believe I'm saying this, and I'll never admit to it, but this Neji guy...is sorta cute - in an 'I am holier than thou' sort of way, but yea. You get it. The man, Gai-san, came over to where I stood by Tenten and Neji. "So, my youthful students," he began, but then stopped, noticing me, with my bright pink hair.

I thought he might get mad at me for interrupting their training session, but instead, his face brightened, and he said, "The word of my youthful teaching must have spread far and wide! Have you come to become as youthful as Lee here is?" At that point Lee jumped in and saved me total and utter humiliation. "Oh, Gai-sensei! Forgive me for not introducing you to Sakura-san here! She saved me from utter destruction, bringing me back to life from the brink of death!" Dear Kami, he could certainly blow things out of proportion. Gai-san looked at me in awe, as though I were an angel sent directly from heaven, wings and all. Which is kinda creepy, because when most people look at a girl like that, it means:

A: They like her. (Ew. Ew. EWEWEWEWEEWEWEEWWWW!!)

B: She's a ghost. (Which, in my case, was very ironic.)

But because I'm not B, that means I'm A. Oh Kami, please kill me now.

"Yosh! I cannot believe the youthfulness I am hearing from my youthful student Lee! I cannot thank you enough! Is there anything I can do to repay your youthfulness?" His face was serious, and his teeth had this _annoying_ sparkle. But, taking a deep breath, I acted like I was supposed to. "No, really, it's ok. Anyone would have done it, so it was nothing. I'm just going to go train now. Nice meeting you." I smiled sweetly at them and waved my hand goodbye, but Tenten interrupted my leaving. "Why don't you stay and train with us?" She suggested, glancing towards Gai-san as if confirmation. "Ah, Tenten! What a youthful suggestion! Of course Sakura can train with us." I had to fight back a shudder. Did he EVER shut up about youthfulness?

I nodded anyway. "I'd very much like to train with you, if it's really not too much trouble." Lee shook his head, smiling with those same annoyingly shiny teeth that matched his sensei's. "I'm going to do 50 laps around Konoha!" He shouted, throwing a fist into the air. "And if you fail, I'm going to do 100 laps!" Gai-san shouted back, and they kept shouting at each other about how one was going to do more laps than the other, and then finally, much to my relief, they actually left to go do laps. I glanced towards Tenten. "Are they like this all the time?" She nodded. "I am so, so sorry." I said, but added, "My friends are probably worse, though." That seemed to catch Neji's interest. He had remained near silent the whole time, and now it was sorta weird to hear him talk. "Who are your friends, anyway? I haven't seen you around here before."

"Well, actually, I'm kinda new here. I came from the Haruno Tribe – about a month's travel from here. We just got here yesterday." Again, that seemed to get his interest. "We?" He asked, eyebrow arching. "Yeah, my sensei and best friend came along as well."

"What is this, some kind of field trip? Konoha doesn't get many ninja outsiders. That is, if you really are a ninja, and not just some poser." Okay. Forget what I said about him being cute. This guy was a total prick! Who shoved a stick up his ass? Mr. Know-It-All. "How dare you! Because I can assure you, _Hyuuga_, that I am no poser, and I could take you down if I wanted to – easily!" I spat out at him, letting my chakra flare just a bit, hoping to intimidate him.

Guess what?

It didn't work.

An arrogant smirk appeared on his face. It was so infuriating how he remained so calm through this. "You wouldn't even be worth my time." With that, he turned and left. Tenten gave me an apologetic look. "He's like that all the time, I'm afraid." I glared at his back and said, "Turn around, Hyuuga, and we'll settle this! If I'm truly a waste of your time, you'll have no problem beating someone as weak as me." His smirk grew just a bit more and he said, "Fine. I could use a good warm-up." I glanced towards Tenten. "Act as a proctor, ok? Call it off when you think someone is done." Tenten gave a worried nod before dashing off to the side of the training area, and I dropped into a fighting stance, a low growl coming from my throat. We both waited tensely, waiting for Tenten's signal. When it finally came, I wasted no time charging at him. Neji didn't bother to use his Byakugan, which made me angrier still. He thought I was weak enough that he wouldn't have to use it? Pfft. He would soon be proved wrong. Very wrong.

He prepared to use his juken on me, and taking a deep breath, I dodged his hand movements, catching him off guard. I planted a swift kick in his stomach, sending each of us flying the opposite way. He skidded to a halt as I landed easily. "That's pretty good, but you'll need more than that to defeat me." I took a deep breath, and prepared myself. Both of us charged at each other, and I formed hand seals to one of my favorite jutsus, stopping just before we had impact. I held my hands as if holding a bow and arrow. I allowed myself a grin. This would be something he had never seen before, as it was relevant only to the Tenshi Tribe – my father's family. "Tenshi Style: Piercing Arrow Jutsu!" The imaginary bow and arrow in my hands was now visible as I poured chakra into it, and with a cry I released the arrow. It flew straight to Neji, and he swirled his body to create a shield of chakra around him. It looked impressive. Too bad it wouldn't work.

I smirked slightly as the arrow went right through the shield and landed in his shoulder, almost laughing at the astonished look on his face. It appeared as if his chakra shield hadn't been breached before. "How – that's impossible! Nothing should be able to get through my chakra shield." His mouth was open, gaping slightly. I felt a sense of pride well up in me. I gave him an arrogant smirk and said, "Sorry, family secret. Now hurry up and come at me, Byakugan boy." He stared at me, seeming surprised that I knew about that. "Tell you what," I said. "If you beat me, I'll tell you how I know about your kekkei genkai. If I beat you, you have to do something for me. Not sure what yet, but when I win I'm sure I'll have something by then." He shrugged. "Fine. We both know who is going to win anyway."

He activated his Byakugan and charged at me again. This time, however, he was more prepared, and had most of his openings covered. Sacrificing a few of my chakra points, I got closer to him, allowing him to seal off just a few points. Him concentrating on my chakra coils, I took advantage of this, leaned foward, and pressed my lips against the side of his face. He was so shocked that he had to stop, which was exactly my plan. I took the opportunity to bring my leg up and kick him in the chin. He flew a few feet in the air before landing roughly.

Neji leaped to his feet. "What the hell was that all about?" For the third time that day, I got to have the satisfaction of seeing him utterly confused. Grinning, I said, "That's the sacred art of a kunoichi – seduction." I grinned mockingly. His cheeks were slightly tinted pink, and even Tenten looked surprised. I'd have to talk about that with her later - how often did you get to see Neji embarresed? Anyway, still in his stunned state, I charged at him again, but he seemed to be expecting this when he caught my foot. Spinning me, he jabbed my stomach. I skidded back a few feet, holding my stomach. Just when I thought my cramps couldn't get any worse. I had taken several Ibuprofens this morning, along with a few herbs to help with the pain, but he just HAD to hit me in the stomach. Bastard.

Then I felt something cool and metal against my throat. "I win." Neji's voice sounded in my ear. Damn him. I ground my teeth together. Still holding my stomach, I stood and walked towards where Tenten stood, still looking shocked. "That has got to be one of the coolest matches I've ever seen. To see Neji almost get beat is something you don't see." She gave me a huge grin. "Good job!" I grunted in acknowledgement, "Do you have any Ibuprofen?" I asked, my eyes watering slightly. She tilted her head slightly and said, "He didn't hit you that hard, did he?" I sighed. "No I didn't, if she can't handle being tapped in the stomach then she shouldn't even be a ninja," His voice cut through our conversation, his eyes piercing mine. "Shut it Hyuuga, you couldn't hurt a fly. I need Ibuprofen 'cause I have friggin' cramps, alright?!" I snapped at him. I had been able to numb my cramps with herbs and medical jutsu before, but then he jabs me in the stomach, and undoes all my hard work! How dare he talk to me like that!

He stared at me for a second before looking away, obviously uncomfortable talking about my cramps. Thankfully Tenten left soon after to retrieve the medical kit that hopefully held something to aid my cramps. There was a deep silence until Tenten came back holding the medical kit, and fishing out the Ibuprofen for me, Tenten was definitely on my Kohona favorites list. I took the directed amount of Ibuprofen, and sighed leaning back against the tree and prayed it'd kick in soon. "Haruno...you still have to honor the bet." Neji said in a cool calm voice, "Neji, can't that wait for a little bit?" Tenten asked, glaring at the Hyuuga boy.

Before he could reply, a voice yelled, "Dear Kami, what kind of Youthful Battle happened here?" I already knew it was Gai's voice. Tenten looked extremely excited and ran past me to where Gai-san and Lee stood. "You guys should have seen it - Sakura nearly beat Neji in a battle! She even managed to get past Neji's Chakra Shield!" Gai-san and Lee both stopped and gapped at me like I was a freak. "Yosh Sakura-san, the power of youth must be with you! To have such strength in battle!" Lee exclaimed overjoyed. "I knew you were special from the moment I saw you! But now I know for sure, I will protect you for as long as I live! I love you Sakura-san!" he yelled, a blush appearing a cross my face and his. I was left speechless; no one had ever been so direct to me in my life about such strong feelings. "Even if she did come close to beating me, she still didn't and lost the bet, so if you'd please explain yourself, Haruno." Neji said in a cool indifferent voice. I glared at him as hard as I could before sighing and sinking down into a sitting position. I did, after all, have to fulfill my bet, so with a semi-depressed feeling in my still cramped stomach, I began to tell my knowledge of the Byakugan...

TBC

* * *

**Authors Note**

**KitsuneGirl 2: Lots of conjunctive writing went into this, with a portion of the first half being mine alone. I really hope to get a story of mine own up soon, seeing as these are both KitsuneGirl 1's ideas and original stories. Hopefully, if it works out, you'll be soon seeing a story of my own. Thanks for reading. (smile) Keep reviewing!**

**-KitsuneGirl 2**


	4. Rivals: Hyuuga vs Haruno

Chapter 4: Rivals

Authors note: **"Summons talking,"**

'**inners/Demons'**

'Thinking'

"Talking"

disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any characters I do own the plot, though!

Chapter 4: Rivals

Hyuuga v.s. Haruno

Neji stared at Sakura, waiting patiently. "Well, you see, there's a story I learned. It's about a Lion Demon named Hyuuga who creates the Byakugan. The story goes on about how the Byakugan was passed to humans, what it is, and a little bit about how to use it. That last part is no use, so I skipped over it – I can't use it, so why read about how? I only know the basics of what the Byakugan does." Ok, so I was partly lying. I knew pretty in-depth what the Byakugan could do, but why would I tell everything I know to that Hyuuga prick? He gave me a very skeptical look.

"A Lion Demon?" I rolled my eyes. "It's a story, idiot, but yes, a Lion." His eye was twitching slightly now. "You are probably the stupidest person I have ever met." He told me. I burst out laughing. "Then you haven't met Naruto." Gai spoke. "Naruto, as in Uzumaki Naruto?" I nodded. "Yea, that stupid fox boy is probably one of the dumbest people I have ever met, but that's why he's my best friend." I said, a grin on my face. "So you hang out with this guy because he's stupid?" Hyuuga asked, I noticed that Gai-san was extremely quiet, with a serious look on his face. I waited a moment, then as casually as I could, I said.

"Well no, I'm just saying that without me, he'd probably trip over his own two feet and impale himself on a kunai." Tenten laughed. "He must be really uncoordinated." "Sometimes," I said, "But he's a good friend that you can depend on." She nodded in understanding and suddenly, my stomach let out a huge growl. A large blush of embarrassment covered my face, but Gai-san merely laughed and said, "Perhaps since you gave Neji such a run for his money, you'd like to join us for lunch?" I nodded. "As long as it's not ramen." Neji, although he looked a bit irritated, said nothing.

--Sushi Bar--

Gai took us to a nice place which wasn't too expensive. I ordered a medium-sized plate of sushi, shrimp, and a bit of steamed white rice. I guess we were all pretty hungry, because all conversations stopped when our food came. I pulled apart my chopsticks and was just about to begin when I heard, "Sakura, how many times have I told you, you can't take people hostage to get food!" I turned to see Kyo-sensei behind me, one of his eyebrows arched, giving me a serious look. "I didn't take anyone hostage, I swear!" I argued with him. "Yosh! Your student is so youthful that she nearly beat Neji here, and as a treat, I took them to get some food."

Gai said, giving a thumbs-up and striking a strange pose. Kyo-sensei seemed to pale a bit, but he gave me a smile. "Okay then...oh before I forget, you meet your new team tomorrow, and after you get back from that, we're going to have a long training session." I let out a groan. Kyo-sensei's training sessions tended to last for hours, sometimes even days. I could already feel the aches in my body. Kyo-sensei gave me a smirk as he turned to leave. "Where's Naruto?" I asked, just realizing that they should be together. "Talking to the Hokage. He's really not too happy about being here, but apparently he and that man were really close." I nodded. At least Naruto liked someone here. "I'll see you later, Sakura," he said turning around, and walking away.

"That was your sensei?! He looks so young!" Tenten exclaimed after he was out of ear shot, I gave her a grin, and replied. "He does, doesn't he? In truth he's actually pretty old." "No way!" Tenten gasped. "Yes way! He's actually 180 years old," I told them, causing everyone but Neji to burst out into a fit of laughter. "Funny Haruno, stop being so childish for once." Neji said, Kami, he was so annoying! I glared at him "Oh so then, you know exactly, what high concentration, of an ancient demonic blood will do, when you are part of one of our Tribes?" I asked my voice cold with anger. Thankfully he shut up seeming to not know what to say. "What do you mean high concentrations of demonic blood?" Gai-san asked, **'nice going, genius now you're going to have to explain** **everything to him!' **Mentally I let out a growl at my inner persona, 'just shut up for a second will you? You're getting on my friggin' nerves! I already have cramps; I don't need you constantly annoying me to!' I quickly, snapped out of my thoughts and answered, Gai-san, "Well you see..." I began slowly, everyone at the table, leaned in slightly; with the exception of me and Neji.

'**Too bad that cute Hyuuga, won't lean in... Then you could kiss him again!' **'No way! That kid got a stick shoved way to far up his ass!' I yelled at my inner self **'yeah... his hot ass!' **I shuddered mentally, that was going way too far. Meanwhile everyone was still leaning in waiting for my answer, swallowing I said "You see...it's a family secret I can't tell," I kept my voice serious, while I wore an innocent look on my face. Lee Gai-san and Tenten all sweat dropped.

"It seems everything with you is a family secret," Neji, said, Kami knows it took all the self restraint I had to stop my self from ripping him limb from limb. "Alright Hyuuga I've I had enough of that arrogant attitude of yours! From this day on you and I are rivals." I said my through my teeth. He being the cocky bastard he is cocked an eyebrow mockingly, and in an arrogant voice said, "oh really? Funny I have two rivals now and neither will never be able to beat me." I let out a growl and taking out a kunai I made a deep and long cut on my wrist. Neji's eyes widened, Tenten gasped, and Lee and Gai-san were gaping like fish.

"By this wound Hyuuga Neji, I Haruno Sakura, daughter of the Shinigami and Tenshi Tribes, member to the Silver Dragon's Gang, and member of Masatake-sama's pride, will defeat you." This would be fun for me, since my other rival, Fuyumi, was back in the tribe, and I have always been told, that a little healthy competition- especially rivalry was good. A grin spread across my face, I really need something to motivate my training and I think this is my something. **'Yeah let's kick his sexy ass, with our awesome jutsu! Shannaro!'** 'For one I agree with you! We're going to kick ass!' **'If you agree with me then... that means you think he's sexy! Hah, I win! Shannaro!' '**No I didn't mean that! You little...' my angry rant was cut short with my inners constant victory scream and her stupid dance.

I rubbed my temples and leaned back in my chair.She was giving me one hell of a migraine. "Sakura, are you all right?" I stopped, and stared at her for a moment before saying, "oh... yeah just dandy... anyway I should get going, I owe you one for lunch Gai-san!" I said happily, before adding "I'll see you guys soon, but I've got tons of work to do around my house, so thanks and bye!" I quickly stood up and left the restaurant, using a simple medical jutsu one I was back on the roof tops. My wound closed almost instantly, I loved medical jutsu!

I was about to head home, when I heard, "hey watch it you stupid dope!" "Don't call me a dope teme!" that was Naruto's voice, please Kami tell me he didn't get into a fight! I was about to jump down and scold him when his words came back to me, _"I never had time to think about that stuff when I was being beaten, or running for me life!" _my stomach began doing flips, and I felt horribly sick. Naruto might be the one in trouble this time! He might need my help! I froze terror stricken about what might happen to Naruto when I heard "You Demon Brat! How dare you, talk to Uchiha-san like that, I'll teach you a lesson!" Hearing that I snapped jumping down in front of Naruto, the villager stopped abruptly, and said "Watch it little girl, I need to teach that kid a lesson," "Sorry but you'll have to go through me first!" I yelled jumping in the air I swung my leg around delivering a strong kick to the tall man's head, which knocked him over.

Landing I turned towards Naruto and said "lets go!" "No way in hell! I've had enough of this! I'll kill those bastards!" He said charging, at the man I just kicked. Quickly, I darted ahead of him and stood there, my arms spread out, "please Naruto, if you do this...They'll have a reason to come after you, if there's one person I can't bear to lose it's you!" My voice was beginning to break as I pleaded with him, he stopped lowering his head. I took a few steps toward him, and hugged him whispering "Let's go home, Blondie," in his ear, he knew I was trying to cheer him up with his nickname. He responded by grabbing my hand, and leading me away quickly. Turning my head I said a black haired boy, his back turned to us, and guessed he was the one called 'Uchiha-san'. But Naruto was quick about getting me out of there and I understood, that man obviously out for Naruto's head.

-- The Apartment--

When we reached, the apartment, Naruto went straight to his room without a word. I went to mine Yuki's sword was still lying on the floor I picked it up again, holding it close to my body. Please... please give me the strength to get the real Naruto back, not this hollow shell. Taking a deep breath, I went towards Nartuo's room and raised, a hand to knock on the door hesitating for only a moment. "Naruto... it's me Sakura please let me in," I said while knocking. The door opened slowly to reveal me blond friend standing there, "what is it?" he asked me. Taking another breath, I said "We... we need to talk," he hesitated before opening the door farther so I could get in. He closed the door, and fell on to his bed. He looked... like he wasn't real just laying there, his eyes staring dully at the ceiling. "Listen Naruto, I know you don't want to be here... but please just give these people a second chance--" "why should I after all the pain they put me through?! You know what they did--," The anger was so real, so hateful as though all though years of hate had piled up and were coming out _now_.

Now I decided to cut him off "yes I know what they did, but not all of them are bad, you obviously are friends with the ramen chef, and the Hokage. Maybe there are more people out there who aren't stupid." I hoped this would cheer him up or something...it didn't. his silence was like torture, I walked towards him and standing over him I said "If you don't want to be happy, about seeing old friends , then do it for me ... do it for Yukihiko," His eyes found mine and searched for something in them, my soul perhaps? "Alright I can't promise but I'll try..."

"Oh thank you so much! Now I can introduce, you to my new friends... and this stupid prick who's my rival," I said happily. He gave a sigh and said, "Wow you already, have friends, incredible," He told me shaking his head. "Yeah, I do but one of them is a bit weird... he wouldn't stop calling me beautiful." I told him grinning and shaking my head, "Anyway, I'm going shopping for some food, wanna come?" I asked standing in his doorway. Giving me a foxy grin he said "Sure,"

--Naruto's P.O.V--

The way Sakura begged me to try, and be happy for her, and Yukihiko was enough. It was enough to give me some motivation to at least try. So I guess it wouldn't kill me to try. But then there's the matter of her new "friends" it's not that I didn't trust people Sakura met, it the fact they're from Kohona was what made me edgy. However if they or more specifically _he_ called her beautiful, he must have had some sense. Because Sakura is beautiful...like a movie star; the kind of beautiful that made peoples heads turn. I should know I've known her for like eight nearly nine years, and I've seen how guys look at her. She's lucky, I'm her brother-well almost brother anyway, because if she didn't have me she'd have tons of trouble with the perverts here in Kohona. "Oi! Blondie hurry up, otherwise I'm leaving without you!" I heard her voice yell at me. So as quickly as I could I jumped up and ran towards her, all the instant ramen was waiting after all.

--Sakura P.O.V. --

Naruto and I hurried out of the apartment; we walked on the paths talking about random topics when he said, "Hey, where'd you get those new clothes?" "Oh! Ami made them; these were in the package she gave me, you probably have some in yours too! I hope so, you really need a change of wardrobe," I told him poking his orange jumpsuit. "Hey I love this Jumpsuit! It's who I am!" He yelled mocking a hurt look. Rolling my eyes, I told Naruto, that I wasn't going to spend over a hundred, when we entered the supermarket, so I limited him to twenty packages of instant ramen which came out to be about ten dollars. He immediately ran to find all his favorite flavors. While I went to buy eggs, meat, veggies, rice, and some other stuff so we could finally eat something other than ramen, fish, and deer meat.

We got home at about fife thirty, and thankfully Kyo-sensei was home, so it was much easier to find dishes and the pans we brought. I put away all the ingredients, we weren't going to use to night, while Kyo-sensei prepared the meat. Naruto was chopping the veggies and now finished I started on the rice. I put the rice in the pot, with oil, and a bit of water, put it on a burner and waited for it to boil. Then I took the already prepared meat and veggies and cooked it in a wok. It took about forty-five minutes to finish cooking, and thirty to eat. So it was about six forty-five, meaning I had enough time to go out and train a bit more.

After taking care of my dishes I went out again, and found training ground ten, Lee and the others seemed to have finally gone home, and the training grounds were pretty well, secluded. I took a deep breath before making the rapid hand signs for a summoning jutsu, and a large lion poofed up, "hello Takaho-sama, I was wondering if you would be kind enough to help me train," I said bowing respectfully, Takaho-sama was Masatake's favorite mate. Masatake-sama was the leader of a lion pride that had gotten me my contact, so I owed them my total respect. **"I suppose, I could, since the cubs are going to be on a hunt," **I gave her a grateful smile, and we began. It took over three hours for one of us to win, and I had used almost every jutsu I knew, and guess what? I still didn't win, and I was exhausted, so tired that I had to be carried home by Takaho-sama.

When I finally got home I did get to take a nice hot shower, and ease away all the aches and pains in my body. After that I made some herbal tea for my now retuning cramp pain, thank god it would be the last day for them other wise I would die. Saying good night to Naruto, and Kyo-sensei I got to my bedroom and went straight to bed. Tomorrow would be a painstakingly long day after all.


	5. A Little Bit of Romance

Chapter 5:

A Little Bit of Romance

_dream land_

_I don't know exactly what was happening, but I could feel someone's hands brushing against my neck and cheeks. The sensation was odd but welcomed... it felt so soothing and gentle. Then I felt something brush against my lips and it lingered there for a while, it took me a few minutes to register that I was being kissed. I imagined that it was Yukihiko - he had always held a special place in my heart. My eyes opened slowly as the kiss began to break, I hoped to see Yukihiko's solid onyx eyes, hoped his waist long blue hair would be mixing with my pink hair . But when I opened my eyes I didn't see Yukihiko's handsome face... I saw the face of my rival Hyuuga Neji! My find sent my mind into over drive, and mentally I began screaming and I tried to stop moving closer to him, but my body wouldn't respond..._

_end dream_

I opened my eyes finding myself back in my bland room, but thankfully my dream... no, my nightmare was over and done with. I looked for my clock - it read 6:47 AM - at least I got a few hours of sleep. Yawning I decided that it would be best to just get up seeing that I'd probably be up in a little over an hour, so yawning I got out of bed, dressed in a clean red outfit (A/N: yes just like in all anime/manga she has a never ending supply of this outfits and any others she may get/wear.) I grabbed my weapons pouch, a few sealed sealing scrolls, money, and left the apartment; but not before leaving a note that said I was going out. Kami knows what a disaster it would be if I didn't leave it for them.

So walking aimlessly through the mostly empty Kohona streets I found my way back to the training grounds again. I now stood in the middle of the training ground and decided whether to stay or not to stay and meditate or go and look around some more. "Well look what we have here," a voice behind me said I jumped slightly before grabbing a kunai and spinning to attack the mysterious person.

My move seemed to be too little to late though since my wrist was grabbed and I was forced against a tree a kunai against my throat the voice that had spoken was so familiar I just couldn't name it... "Ain't it great to see each other again, Sakura?" oh Kami-sama please forgive me for whatever I did and don't let it be her. "..Oh Sakura you're so silent aren't you going to try and fight me ... or are you just going to admit you're weaker than me." Aw shit... no one told me Etsu would be here.

Etsu was Fuyumi's right hand girl, they were both stupid hoes... well in my opinion anyway. They were also 'Shadow Seekers'. They thought it was a cool name, I think it's retarded; honestly it sounds like something to come out of a freakin' Harry Potter book. I broke Etsu's hold and stared her down, I looked her over for a second - she had a new scar just under her eye, making her look even more boyish. Her hair was cut short like a boy, and she also had a blue Mohawk, too much black eye shadow, wore to much black, and was way too thin to look healthy. Her skin was a ghostly pale, and she reeked of cigarettes and blood - one of the foulest odors I have ever come across. But my real question was how the hell did she end up in Konoha?!

"How the hell did you get here?" I asked, too curious to bother with the fact that we were from rival gangs. Etsu grinned wickedly and said, "Like I'd tell you!" The fact that she was here got other questions shooting through my head. "Is Fuyumi and the rest of you here?" I asked, glaring at her. "I really shouldn't tell you this, but unfortunately, Fuyumi had to stay back for a trial on arson, so I got my fucking ass stuck with Okito and Hideya... but Fuyumi did tell me that if I saw your stupid ass to kick it all the way to the fucking moon!" Grinning wickedly she charged at me, and I quickly dodged and dug out a switchblade, slicing her arm. Wincing slightly she grabbed her arm and inspected her wound. She glared at me again before saying, "Love to continue this, but I gotta go. Ja ne!" With another grin she darted into the trees and before I could blink, she was gone.

I stared at the area where she had disappeared, astounded. That had happened really quickly, and I hadn't even gotten answers! The only thing I knew was that Etsu, Okito, and Hideya were here in Konoha. What about the rest of the Shadow Seekers - and what about my friends? I sighed, rubbing my head. This was all so confusing. Why the hell would the most idiotic and dangerous people in the Shadow Seekers be here? Why not my friends? I hated to admit it, but I suddenly felt extremely angry with the elders - what in Kami's name were they thinking? Sending idiots like Etsu here to Konoha. I hardly doubted that they would do as we were sent for – spreading the Sight. But why else would they be here? I pondered these things as I absentmindedly wiped the blood off of my switchblade – like I would leave Etsu's blood all over my prized blade!

Now my mind got back to my original reason for coming to the training ground, and I shoved my switchblade back into my pocket before leaving. I was only stopping by to look anyways. I glanced at the sky – the sun had shifted a bit. I must have been out longer than I thought. Sighing, I headed back to the apartment. More than likely Naruto and Kyo-sensei would be up, and I was anxious to tell Naruto about my encounter with Etsu. When I did reach the apartment and went inside, Naruto was sitting at the table, a bowl of cereal before him.

"Hey Sakura," he said sleepily, waving at me. "Naruto, I have something important to tell you." He must have sensed the urgency in my voice, because he sat up a bit straighter and set down his spoon. I quickly told the happenings of the morning, finishing up with Etsu's leaving. "Holy shit! What were those senile old people thinking?!" he yelled. "They were thinking about giving them a second chance," Kyo-sensei emerged from the kitchen, "Or they just wanted to get rid of them." Kyo-sensei finished, handing me a bowl of cereal.

I once again got back to my original question with Etsu. "But why are they here? Why couldn't the elders give them a 'second chance' back home?" Kyo-sensei shook his head at my question, leaving me even more irritated. "Hurry up and eat, we have a training session." I let out a groan. Please, dear Kami, spare my life. I did as was told, and Naruto followed suit, finishing his cereal before darting off to get dressed. "Don't forget about Ami's outfit! Wear that!" I called after him, taking my things to the sink.

He came out a few minutes later, and I was happy to see that the orange jumpsuit was gone. Instead, the replacement was still orange, although looking a lot cooler. There was an orange jacket with blue stripes going down the sides and long sleeves, orange shorts with blue stripes at the bottom of them, and the same ninja sandals. "Alright, let's go!" Naruto said cheerfully. "Wait," I told him, and then I unzipped the jacket, revealing a black shirt with an orange seal that was also on his stomach. "You look better that way," I told him, and he nodded before unzipping my jacket, saying, "Same for you."

"Ok, let's go. This is getting kinda awkward for some reason." We followed Kyo-sensei out of the apartment and down to the training grounds. "Alright, today we're going to be working on-"

"Yosh! It is the youthful cherry blossom again, come to see me in all my youthfulness!" Dear Kami. I'd recognize that voice anywhere. I turned around to see Gai-san and his team, coming towards the training ground. I groaned. We were in Training Ground 10 – the same place where they trained! It wasn't really Lee or Tenten that bothered me, it was the Hyuuga prick. I forced a smile and waved. "Hello, Gai-san," I said politely. "What do you want?" A harsh voice told me, and I let my smile be replaced with a scowl aimed towards Neji.

"We're training here!" Naruto said from behind me, making me jump. I had nearly forgotten about him and Kyo-sensei! "Oh. Right. Uh, Lee, Tenten, Neji, Gai-san, this is Naruto. He's also from my village, and he's my best friend." Naruto gave a sheepish grin, scratching the back of his head. "Nice to meet you Naruto-san," Lee said, formal as always. "Naruto-san? What's with that?" Naruto murmured into my ear, and I shrugged, still glaring at the Hyuuga. Naruto looked at me, due to my lack of response. Then he turned around, walked away a few steps before turning around. He charged at me, yelling, "Gross Jutsu!"

I stopped and said, "Naruto, wait! Stop!" But I was too late, and he pounced, tackling me into the ground, and licked my face. EEWWWWWWWW!! I kneed him in the stomach, kicked him off, and proceeded to use a summoning jutsu. "Summoning Jutsu!" I yelled. Naruto's eyes got wide, and he tried to scramble away. "EAT HIM!" I yelled, pointing at the blonde. Three lion summons, at least three times the size of normal lions, jumped out of the smoke and went after him. Naruto started screaming, and I felt very, very satisfied. The summons pounced on him, and proceeded to lick him too, and it must have been horrible, because their tongues must have been at least a foot long and three inches wide. "Gross!" He yelled, struggling as he tried to get away. "Alright guys, that's enough."

Then they got up from Naruto and trotted obediently over to me before sitting at my side. Kyo-sensei sighed, shaking his head, and said apologetically, "Sorry for interrupting your training." He glanced over at Naruto and me before shaking his head again. "That was incredible! I've never seem someone so young able to summon something like that!" The look on Gai's face proved his words to be true. I glanced at Neji, and amazingly, his jaw was open at the sight of my lions. **'Ohhh, look at our hot Hyuuga guy! He's so amazed by our mad skills. I wonder if he is as good at kissing as he is in our dream?' **She let out a fangirl-like scream in my head. A horrified look came over my already beet red face, and I proceeded to whack my head against the tree.

"Sakura-san, why are you hitting yourself? Don't do that, my beautiful cherry blossom." I shot Lee a weak smile before my inner did the most stupid thing she could have done. She managed to jump right out of my body into a fake one of her own. "Ack! Nooo, get back in!" I yelled, lunging for her hand. It was too late. She did have my speed and agility - after all, we were the same person. A horrified look came across my face. "You have to help me! PLEASE!" I pleaded.

Naruto had already gone after her – he had dealt with my inner a few times before. Then I sprinted after her. Naruto lunged forward and caught her, and then I ran straight towards her, lunging to grab hold of her arm. Our bodies fused together almost immediately when I touched her. Letting out a sigh of relief, I got up and dusted myself off. Naruto and I both pretended that nothing had happened and calmly walked back to Kyo-sensei. Meanwhile, my inner was having a rant inside my head - all the while flashing pictures of what Neji may look like shirtless or pieces of my dream from last night. Kyo-sensei bowed and said, "Please forgive our distractions." He then led us away from the training grounds, my three lions following closely behind.

-End-

TBC...OR NOT!

(**Thank you to all our wonderful reviewers! We hope you liked this chapter, and if you do, please review! We'll keep updating with more reviews...like, LIGHTNING FAST!! Anyway, if you have any questions/coments/ideas, please e-mail us at ! We love to hear from you guys, so send away!**

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	6. Rivals part 2: Uchiha vs Uzumaki

**(Authors note: This is a new record - 4000+ words! YAA GO US! Not to mention that I (kitsunegirl2) wrote most of (if not all) of this. Please review! if you have any ideas/comments/whatever, send us a message. **

**Yes amazinly kitsunegirl2 did write most of this chapter, now if only i could get her to do this more often... Anyway stop being so freakin stupid and fucking review. JK I have a sailors mouth today .!**

**Disclaimer: WE DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR **** Boys Like Girls, Five Minutes to Midnight – WE DO NOT OWN IT OR ANY OF IT**

Chapter 6: Rivals, Part 2:

Uchiha vs. Uzumaki

"That was really strange." Tenten said, watching as Kyo-sensei, Naruto and I left. I still couldn't believe that Naruto would use his stupid 'Gross Jutsu' at a time like that! He had totally humiliated me in front of Neji. Not that I cared... **'Ohh, but you do care!! Because you looooove him and his sexy ass! If only you had let me out for a bit longer, I might have gotten to even touch him...' **My inner let out a fangirl-ish scream. I mentally sighed and decided that I really, really hated my inner.

Kyo-sensei was silent, and I knew that he would be furious with us. Once we were away from the training grounds, he turned to us. "That was very inappropriate, and I'm disappointed in the both of you." His calm, cold tone made me feel even more ashamed. Now I _knew _that I wasn't going to survive our next training session – he was gonna kill us! "Sorry," I murmured shamefully, ducking my head. I heard Naruto do the same, and then Kyo-sensei spoke again. "Since that didn't exactly work out, you can forget training for the day. Instead, you're meeting your new team. The ninja they train here are put into three-man cells, and you're getting a team of your own."

I looked up, excited by the prospect of a team. That meant missions, and training sessions with someone other then Kyo-sensei! Naruto looked excited too, and he grinned a foxy grin. "When do we meet them?" He asked, obliviously impatient to meet the third person in our cell and our teacher. "After lunch. For the time being, I'll be nice and take you out, although Kami only knows why." It was true – even I didn't know why Kyo-sensei was taking us out, but I was glad, because it meant he wasn't as angry anymore.

--After lunch--

Lunch was really good, and I think I enjoyed it so much partially because it wasn't ramen. But Naruto and I both hurried through our lunches, eager. I was really excited, actually; I surprised myself with my enthusiasm. By the time we were on our way to the building where we were to meet our new sensei and team member, Naruto was bouncing around like an excited puppy. "Oh my god oh my god, we're probably gonna get the coolest sensei ever!" I smiled, letting the kid have his fun. It was certainly better than the hollowed-out shell that he was a few days ago. "I'll see you tonight," Kyo-sensei said, then turned and left, leaving us alone.

"Let's go in, maybe they're already there!" Naruto said happily, bursting inside. No one was there yet, (much to his disappointment) but we sat down to wait anyway. Suddenly Naruto grinned evilly, "Let's play a prank on our new teacher!" He said, jumping up. "No freakin' way, Naruto, we just got off the hook with Kyo-sensei! Do you want to piss Kyo-sensei off again along with a new teacher?! Besides he's probably an elite ninja meaning there's no way in the seven levels of hell he'll fall for you retarded pranks." I told him matter-of-factly, "Oh come on neko-chan, it won't be anything big just a bucket with some chakra in the bottom!" He begged me, and knowing Naruto he probably won't stop until I gave in.

So sighing I told him that he would have to take the blame and that I wasn't going to help him piss someone powerful off. So I sat down in a chair inside the room we were waiting in. Naruto set up his prank, telling me about how awesome and smart he'd look by pulling this off on an elite Shinobi. I nodded, not really listening, when I saw two people coming down the hall. "They're coming," I told him, and grinning, Naruto disappeared back into the room. I looked up to see a silver-haired man whom I assumed to be our sensei, and a black-haired kid who looked rather stoic and unhappy.

"I'm Sakura," I said politely, standing up. "Isn't there supposed to be another one of you?" The silver-haired one asked. "He's inside," I said, jerking a hand towards the door. Our sensei walked towards the door, pulled it open and...There was a rattling, and the bucket tumbled from the door top, hitting our sensei before falling to the floor. My mouth dropped open. It had worked! Unbelievable! I stopped, watching for a reaction, and the silver-haired man simply stared at Naruto, who was grinning like a fox. He grunted and we all walked into the room, sitting on the chairs.

Naruto turned to look at the black-haired boy, and suddenly, his face went from glee to anger. His eyes narrowed, and he leapt to his feet. "You!" He shouted, staring angrily at the other boy. He recognized Naruto, too, and they both stood up, glaring at each other. "You know him?" I asked, incredulous. "This is the villages precious 'Uchiha-San'," Naruto said, disgusted, and I remembered finding him the other day – he had been about to fight with an 'Uchiha-san' before the villager tried to attack him. "This is him?" I asked, eyebrows arching up. "Yea," Naruto grunted, still angry. The raven-haired boy glared at him. "You'd do well to remember my name is Sasuke Uchiha," he said.

Meanwhile, our sensei was just watching, looking bored. "Right! Why don't we say our names, what we like, dreams, whatever." I shot him a weird look. "I'll start. My name is Kakashi Hatake, what I like doesn't matter, I have no dreams. Continue." I raised an eyebrow. Ok...This was going to be interesting. "My name is Sakura Haruno; I like medical jutsu, beating up Shadow Seekers, and Naruto; my dream is to become a medic ninja and to open everyone's eyes."

Naruto grinned at my liking him, but Sasuke gave me a look like I was crazy. "'Open our eyes?' What the hell, do you think we're blind?" I decided that I don't like this Sasuke Uchiha person. "Get him." One of my lionesses named Yasue poofed into existence next to me, and I'm pretty sure that Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke both had a heart attack. She jumped towards Sasuke, and he dodged her just barely. She let out a fierce roar. "Good Yasue, my widdle baby!!"

The lioness went on her two back paws, put her two front paws on me, and proceeded to lick my face. "Das right, you are," I said while scratching a spot behind her ear. A large rumbling purr echoed from her chest, and with one last scratch behind the ear, she left. Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei were staring at me, and Naruto was laughing his ass off. "Now Sasuke, that was Yasue. She's barely five months old. If I can summon a cub like her, imagine what her mommy and daddy look like! So I'd keep the smart-ass comments to yourself." He glared at me before sitting back down.

Naruto finally managed to quit laughing. "Right, I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I like ramen, training, ramen, Sakura, ramen, pork ramen, and did I say ramen? I dislike you, Sasuke, Shadow Seekers, and my old girlfriend who keeps trying to get child support from me." He laughed crazily then, and I could have sworn that Kakashi and Sasuke both sweat dropped. "My dream is to get revenge on those who banished me as a child, i.e. Konoha; eat the world's supply of ramen, and live to surpass Kyo-sensei." Kakashi blinked, giving Naruto a look as if he was crazy and had just admitted that he was a worshiper of ninja monkeys that read Icha Icha Paradise all day long and believed in Gai-ism.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I don't like anything, I hate my brother-" "OHHHH, IS YOUR BROTHER ITACHI UCHIHA?!" I said loudly, winking at Naruto, who had to stifle his mad laughter. "He is sooooo hot; I'd totally have his psycho babies!" Sasuke fell off his chair, and I hoped that he had a heart attack. Kakashi made a strangled, gurgling sound like he had choked on air, and then Naruto couldn't hold it anymore; he burst into laughter.

Sasuke shakily climbed back into his chair, glaring at me. "How...how do you know about my brother?" He asked. "I know about nearly every main clan here in Konoha, their bloodline, current members, and summons. I had to do a lot of studying to get here, so please, don't take me for a fool. And I hope you know that I was just kidding about having his psycho babies. But he is hot." Kakashi again made that strangled sound, reminding me that he probably _was_ choking on air.

Sasuke glared at me before finishing. "I dislike Itachi, you, Naruto, ramen, pork ramen, and ramen." Naruto made a pouting face at him. "My dream is to kill my brother and revive my clan."

"OHHHHH, SASUKE WANTS TO HOLD YOU; HE WANTS TO LOVE YOU, HE WANTS TO FEEEEEEL YOUUU..." Naruto sang loudly, staring pointedly at me, grinning. I shrieked and performed a jutsu on him. REcognizing the hand signs, he immediatley stopped and made a prayer-like sigh with his hands. "Sakura, no, no, please, no, I was just kidding, oh Kami NOOOOOO-" He was cut off when I yelled, "Creeping Shadow Genjutsu!"

_Genjutsu World _

_I cackled madly, watching as Naruto sat on the floor in front of me. "And now, you must watch all the ramen on the earth..." he looked happy at that, "...BE EATEN BY MEEE!! MWHAHAHAAAAA!!" "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Naruto screamed, watching as bowl after bowl disappeared..._

_End Genjutsu World_

I let the genjutsu fade, and Naruto started twitching uncontrollably, foaming at the mouth, before he fell over and off his chair, unmoving. **"Sakura, how could you!?" **He growled, his eyes becoming crimson. "Oh shit, shit, shit, Naruto, I'm sorry, ok? I would never do that, I don't even like ramen all that much, I'll take you out for dinner, ok? Just please, calm down, please, oh shit, oh shit..." I recognized his near-demonic state immediately – he had only gone fully demonic (tails and all) a few times, but it was something that had always resulted in the destruction of buildings, or worse.

He then calmed down, giving me a cheerful smile before saying, "Ok!" I groaned. Well, I won't be using that genjutsu for long... Sasuke and Kakashi were staring at us, looking confused and slightly terrified at the same time. "Uh, ok, so...what next?" I asked nervously, scratching the back of my head sheepishly. Kakashi-sensei cleared his throat. "Right, well, you're going to take a test."

"Already?" Naruto groaned. "Wait, I think Naruto and I already figured out what the point of this test is."

"Yea, we took one just like this back home." Kakashi glared at us. "You don't even know that the test is about. I haven't even told you." I blinked. "So. What else could a test for a _three man cell_ be?" "What's if for, then?" Kakashi asked. Naruto and I looked at each other before answering in union. "Teamwork, wooo." Naruto threw his hands up into the air in mock excitement.

"Well, what if Sasuke didn't know? That's the whole point of the test – to work together." Naruto glanced accusingly at the Uchiha. "Well, if the Uchiha is such a genius prodigy, he should have figured it out already. I'm practically dead last, and I got it right away. So who's the smart one now, huh?" He said tauntingly towards Sasuke, who glared at him. "Is that a challenge, Uzumaki?" He asked coldly. Naruto stood up. "Maybe it is, Uchiha." I grinned, knowing what was coming next. Naruto pulled out a kunai, slashed his hand, and held it out.

"By my blood, Naruto Uzumaki, member of the Haruno village, gifted with the Sight, I hereby make you, Sasuke Uchiha, my rival!" I grinned – I had seen this before with someone from the Shadow Seekers. He then turned to me, hiding his hand from Sasuke's view. "Pssst, Sakura, can you fix this with a medical jutsu? It kinda hurts..." I whacked myself over the head. "Idiot."

Gently, he held out his hand, and I touched it with my chakra-covered hand. The wound sealed itself up easily, but I doubt it had anything to do with my abilities; more like something to do with a certain fox. "Wow, you cut yourself. Nice job, smart one." "Alright, that's it, we're fighting!" I gave a small smirk at that. "Ok, let's go down to the training grounds. You don't want to ruin the classroom." Kakashi said, and I think he was actually looking forward to seeing the two fight. I knew I was, although there wasn't a doubt in my mind that Sasuke would lose.

--Training Grounds--

We arrived at the training grounds, and Naruto moved to one side of the field, Sasuke to the other. Kakashi-sensei moved to be the proctor, in case things got out of hand – I doubted that they would. Naruto would beat Sasuke easily. Then the match began, almost immediately – this was pretty good after all! Sasuke was holding up pretty well. Then, about ten minutes into the match, I felt Etsu's chakra nearby. Slowly, I backed away, about to leave, when Kakashi-sensei said, "Where are you going?" I froze, and then said, "Um... I need to go shove a tampon up my ass. See ya!" Kakashi-sensei coughed as if choking, pretending that he hadn't heard me, and I took the opportunity to disappear.

Once I was far enough away, I pulled out my switchblade, calling, "Etsu! Get your ugly ass out here!" With a wicked laugh, she came forward out of the shadows. "Not bad, Hon, except you missed two people." Out of the trees behind her came Okito and Hideya. Shit. Etsu alone I could take...with two others to help her, not so much. "You wanna fight? Fine. But three against one isn't that fair, you know," Etsu grinned. "Yes, I know. So what? No one ever said we had to play fair, now did they?" "Well...I implied it...so, ya know, come on!"

"Enough fraternizing with the enemy! Let's get her!" Okito yelled, charging forward. I grabbed a switchblade and a kunai, one in each hand. But it was hard dealing with two people only to have the third sneak up behind you and stab you in the back. Which hurt. So during the fight, we kept moving backwards, back to where Kakashi-sensei, Naruto and Sasuke were. I tried to move forward, but every time I did, I would get hit hard, which hurt. Then, while my guard was down, Etsu grabbed me and flung me, back towards the training grounds and Sasuke.

No way in hell was he going to see me like this! By this time, both my red jacket and my halter top were nearly torn off, leaving me in my bindings and shorts. Mind you, this did not cover a lot of skin - hardly any, in fact. Sasuke groaned when my body flew into his, but I quickly jumped off and did a flip, landing neatly on the ground. Blood was splattered over my body, and I had a few new bruises. "Neko-chan, what happened to you?!" Naruot yelled, rushing over. "Damn Etsu, Okito and Hideya, that's what," I grumbled, pointing to where they were coming from.

Sasuke jumped to his feet. "I'll take care of them," He said, trying to play the hero, but I could see fighting down a blush and a nosebleed at my current state. Perv. "No, stupid, we'll take care of them. This is our battle," I told him. "You're not even a Silver Dragon, so back off!" Naruto yelled, charging to where the other three were. I took off after him, and we met the others head-on. Kakashi-sensei was startled from the commotion and looked up from his book, gasping at my current state. He was just about to jump in and help, when I threw a senbon at him, growling, "Back off! We've got this."

I was fighting Etsu, and Naruto had Hideya when Okito was about to slash me in the back. He was stopped suddenly when someone kicked him in the back. "You said we were a team, so start acting like it!" Sasuke was such an idiot. "How many action movies did you watch before you got those lines?" I asked him irritably, slashing at Etsu. I was happy to report that I did hit her, making a cut under her other eye, the one without the scar. Well, she'd probably have matching scars now!

Then Kakashi-sensei jumped in, a heavy feeling of chakra around him. "Stop it!" he said to the Shadow Seekers, and Naruto, Sasuke and I pulled back. "How dare you attack my students," he said. "Whatever. When Fuyumi gets out from her trial on arson, she's gonna kick your ass!" I grinned. "Well, when Ryouichi gets off of probation, he's gonna have a field day kicking all your asses!" I threw back, and what I was saying was pretty true. Ryouichi was another Silver Dragon, and he was one of the more violent members of our gang. Unfortunately, he had to go to jail – or, as the elders said, 'correctional facility' – because the Shadow Seekers blamed him for starting a fight.

But he hadn't, and they were just blaming him for it. Oh well, revenge is best served when it's been cultivated for a few months in a jail cell. And with that, the Shadow Seekers disappeared in their trademark vanishing act. Sasuke stared after them. "Who the hell were they?" He asked, trying to avert his eyes from looking directly at me. "Shadow Seekers, our rival gang. Kami only knows why they followed us to Konoha from our village." I shook my head. "But if they're here, that means that Ryouichi will be here soon, too. And I'm going to have so much fun watching him wipe the floor with their asses."

I gave a dreamy sigh at that, before Naruto said, "Hey, Sakura, do you want my jacket?" He was staring at me, but it didn't really bother me – the kid was practically my brother. Sasuke, on the other hand... "No, I've got an extra halter," I said, tugging it on. "Do you have any bandages? Preferably a whole roll, because I'm gonna need a lot." "Um, sorry. We didn't bring any," Kakashi-sensei said, shrugging. "Oh. Ok, just gimme a second, will ya?" I went behind a tree and proceeded to cut off my blood-soaked bindings. They were getting really annoying. Then I retied my halter and made sure it was on tight, just in case.

I came out and said, "Ok." I sat down and leaned against the tree. The sun was already beginning to set, and I was tired from the fight. Yawning, I decided what Sasuke had said about teamwork was true. He had done pretty well against the Shadow Seekers, although I wouldn't ever ask him to help again, or join the gang. Sighing, I rolled my eyes and said, "Who needs to be healed? Speak now or forever hold your peace," I said. Naruto had a few cuts, but he looked fine. "Nah. But chicken-butt over here probably needs some assistance." Giving a sigh, I walked over to Sasuke, who was currently glaring at Naruto.

I healed a few of his larger wounds, gave him some medical cream, and said, "Nice job holding your own against Okito." He smirked, and I rolled my eyes, dusting myself off. "I'm tired and hungry," I said. "So, bye!" Naruto too stood up to follow me when Kakashi-sensei said, "How about I treat you to some dinner? We all kinda got off on a rough start, so let's try again." I pondered his words for a moment before glancing at Naruto, who nodded. "Well, what the hell. Why not." We followed him to a restraunt, and as we walked in, I heard, "YOSH! Kakashi, my ever hip and youthful rival is here! Do you intend to beat me?!" Did these people STALK me?!

I swear I'm going to take out a restraining order on Gai-san...

"Oh, hello Gai, if you're here, perhaps we should leave? I don't want to bother you," Kakashi-sensei said, slowly backing away. "No, Kakashi, stay! Because you beat me in our last most youthful battle, I must pay for all your meals!" Kakashi-sensei smiled – or at least I think he did. "Oh. Right...then I guess we can stay." Naruto and I traded glances, sweat dropping.

Cheapskate.

But we stayed anyway, being as hungry as we were. Naruto sat across from me, Sasuke sat across from Tenten, Gai sat across from Lee, and Kakashi sat across from an empty chair. I guess Neji wasn't here tonight – awesome! We ordered happily, and Naruto and I were chatting when I could feel someone's glare on me, and someone said, "Haruno." I spun around to see... None other than Neji Hyuuga himself.

I had to suppress a groan – my night had been going so well! I returned his glare. "Hyuuga," I said icily, turning back to my food and Naruto. Naruto grinned gleefully at me, and leaned in and whispered, "Do you like him?" His question earned him a punch the face, after I managed to clear my throat of the food and air that I had choked on. "We're rivals, genius, which means I hate him and he hates me. End of story." Naruto leaned over by Lee.

"Yea, she likes him."

This time it was Lee's time to look shocked and hurt. "Don't listen to him; he's high off pain medications!" I hissed, kicking Naruto hard under the table. After dinner we all walked out of the restaurant, staying as a group. It was amazing how we all lived by each other! "Sakura, are you still mad at me?" Naruto asked, finally noticing my silence. When I didn't answer, he gave along sigh before doing a little dance, which sorta freaked me out, and then he burst out into song. YES. SONG. HE BURST OUT SINGING.

**Brown eyes and lungs are filled up with smoke  
Fast lives are stuck in the undertow  
But you know the places I wanna go  
Cause oh oh oh  
I've got a sickness, you've got the cure  
You've got the spark I've been lookin' for  
And I've got a plan, we walk out the door**

**You know you wanna  
Just let go  
It's time to roll down the windows  
Sing it oh oh  
Yeah all we need so here we go**

**Turn it up  
It's five minutes to midnight  
You're coming home with me tonight  
I can't get enough  
Shakin' me up  
Turn it up  
Alright, at five minutes to midnight  
We'll see our name in city lights  
We'll make the clock stop  
Make your heart drop and come alive**

**We could  
Pack up and leave all our things behind  
No fact or fiction or storyline  
Cause I need you more than just for tonight  
You're oh oh oh like air  
I can't stop my breathing in  
I'm weak and you were my medicine  
I won't stop till I am under your skin**

**You know you wanna  
Just let go  
It's time to roll down the windows  
Sing it oh oh  
Yeah all we need so here we go**

**Turn it up  
It's five minutes to midnight  
You're coming home with me tonight  
I can't get enough  
Shakin' me up  
Turn it up  
Alright, at five minutes to midnight  
We'll see our name in city lights  
We'll make the clock stop  
Make your heart drop and come alive**

**And when the clock strikes twelve  
Will you find another boy to go and kiss and tell?  
Cause you know I never will  
I think we should strike a match  
We'll hold it to the wind to and see how long it lasts  
We can make the time stand still**

**Turn it up  
It's five minutes to midnight  
You're coming home with me tonight  
I can't get enough  
Shakin' me up  
Turn it up  
Alright, at five minutes to midnight  
We'll see our name in city lights  
We'll make the clock stop  
Make your heart drop and come alive**

**Turn it up  
It's five minutes to midnight  
You're coming home with me tonight  
I can't get enough  
Shakin' me up  
Turn it up  
Alright, at five minutes to midnight  
We'll see our name in city lights  
We'll make the clock stop  
Make your heart drop and come alive**

Neji and the others probably had heart attacks but I just joined in; it was a good song plus I just couldn't stay mad at Naruto and his randomness.

TBC...or not?

PLEASE REVIEW OTHERWISE WE'LL PUT THIS ON HIATUS!! OKAY SO MAYBE WE WON'T BUT REVIEWS ARE LOVED AND CARED FOR.


	7. Hormones, Nofaces, and More Hormones

**EXTREMLY IMPORTANT--READ**

**Authors Note:Hi we made a new new record!! Over 5,000 word for this chapter! but Kitsunegirl2 and I will be going on a nice long vacation and will both have to spend time with families instead of writing... And i won't be able to get to a computer!! TT.TT Anyway we probably won't be able to update anything from the july 24 to august 7 and after that I promise we will try and write as much as possible! Ja ne! plz review!**

**p.s. I hope you like the nejisaku implications in this chapter**

Chapter 7: Hormones, No-faces, and More Hormones.

Ok I know this was a bit weird... Ok so it was freakish when two teenagers burst out in to song in the middle of the street but hey at least it gives people something to talk about, and it like so freakin' fun. I mean seriously... anyway once the song ended we were laughing our asses off. We used to do this all the time with our gang. I just hope Neji thinks I have a good voice... wait n-no I d-don't my brain has been so over worked that I'm thinking strange things heh..hehe...

**'Sure it has just keep telling yourself that mean while I'll just be waiting here when you want to confess and don't worry I won't go anywhere...' **Just please shut up I've had enough trouble for one day... so please shut your mouth... **'Sakura you'll make this easier for both of us if you just confess your feelings... honestly it's nothing to be ashamed of he's hot and you are a teenage age girl with hormones...' **giving a mental sigh I decided to just stop arguing; I really didn't need a headache tonight.

"You guys are just plain weird," Sasuke said to us. "No we're not," we replied. "Honestly you guys if you don't do spontaneous stuff at random times someday you'll look back on your life and say 'sometimes I wished I had done more when I was young,' besides your only young once why not make the most of it?" I said looking at my fellow ninja. "I guess you guys are right ... but I could never have enough courage to do that stuff, I'd be too embarrassed." Tenten said to us.

"Well you could always try...I mean I was embarrassed to at first but it's always good to have friends who look like an idiot with you," Naruto said grinning. From that point on it got quiet, as the others went there own separate ways, soon all that was left was me, Naruto, and Sasuke. He had remained quiet for the most part, uttering an insult to Naruto once in a while, and Naruto would usually think of some stupid thing to fire back and insult Sasuke with.

Shaking my head I gave a sigh, and grabbed Naruto and dragged him back to the apartment before he ended up following Sasuke to his home. We got home and Kyo-sensei asked how it went and we answered honestly telling him everything down to every last detail. Although he disapproved some of our actions, (Me letting Yasue attack Sasuke) he wasn't angry about what happened earlier today and I felt extremely relieved - I was so glad he wasn't mad at us.

I went with Naruto into his room and we spent most of the night listening to music and talking. We both decided that tomorrow we'd unpack everything and get our rooms set up. For the meantime though I decided to go to a local hot spring. I was really, really tense, and now would be a good time to go since it wasn't too early and it wasn't too late.

So telling Kyo-sensei where I was going I left and made my way to the hot springs. The water was extremely soothing and it felt nice the hot water washing over my sore muscles, loosened up my tense muscles and in no time I felt better than ever. I probably took like an hour bath at the hot springs, because when I got home Kyo-sensei told me that I should get to sleep soon. And I did falling asleep quickly do to my exhaustion...

Only to be woken up again by that torturous nightmare I had of Neji except this time it was way more intense. Kami do you hate me?! **'No he doesn't Sakura quite the opposite he just wants you to realize your feelings for Neji and get on with raping his sexy ass! Shannaro!' **my inner told me in a sing-song voice.'I hate you...' I told her.

**'That's what you say now but when you're lying in bed with Neji after making passionate love, you'll be thanking me!' **Oh god that was just gross, my inner was feasting on the hot mental images she created of Neji and me... oh shit did I say HOT?! No I meant NOT they were not hot at all... yeah that's what I meant.

**'Sure ya did... Oh god if he looked rape-able shirtless... imagine what he must look like in the nude!!' **my inner had a huge nosebleed at the thought I however did not think thatNeji was "Rape-able" either way so I could control myself. I shook myself out of my thoughts and then wiped my nose, stopping when I saw red... holy fucking Shit I just had a nosebleed over Hyuuga Neji... the world must have ended. **'Or the more logical explanation - you looovvvveeeeeeeeeee him! Shannaro!' **

A horrified expression came over my face and I began choking there was no way in hell that I could fall for someone with a stick shoved so far up their ass!A small groan escaped my throat and I dressed using chakra to heal my nosebleed and once again I had a little time before Kyo-sensei and Naruto got up. So leaving another note I left. Walking around the nearly empty streets while taking in the peaceful tranquility around me made me forget some of the happenings of the morning. I felt so relaxed.

Breathing a sigh of relief I tilted my head back looking at the sky. I don't know what exactly happened but the atmosphere suddenly changed and I felt a dangerous pressure behind me. So spinning around I clutched a kunai preparing to attack. I felt overwhelmed with panic as I realized what exactly was standing behind me. It was a no-face... it wasn't as though I had never seen one before it was that this was the first one I had faced that had such a powerful aura, such an evident killer intent.

It turned its head my way; there was no face on the shadow-like form (hence the name no-face). Then the black colored skin peeled apart to form a mouth and a siren like sound came from its new formed mouth. I knew in that moment that this no-face could kill me and from there it would try to devour my soul. It seemed so gruesome and I really should be running, crying, yelling or something but my body wouldn't move I felt as though I was being suffocated... like every part was being strangled... like my soul was being forced down. This was it... I would die here...

"Sakura-san my beautiful cherry blossom!" The sound of Lee's voice calling me out made my body snap out of its paralyzed trance and I turned around as fast as I could, running towards Lee and his team. "Hey Sakura I was wondering-" Tenten began but stop when she saw my legs give out and me tumble into the chest of Neji. My entire body was still trembling in fear as I dug my fingers into Neji's skin. "What the hell Haruno?!" He asked his voice held irritation and annoyance but I didn't move... well more like I couldn't.

All I could do was let out a small whimper and try to disappear farther into Neji's chest.

"Sakura-san my beautiful cherry blossom what happened? And why are you holding on to my rival Neji?" I shook my head and continued to press my face into Neji's chest. Then taking a few breaths I calmed myself before letting go of Neji, I turned my head to see if the no-face was still there. Thankfully it wasn't and I straightened myself up and said, "Sorry for just kind of breaking down on you..." I shuffled my feet slightly before giving them a weak smile.

"What the hell was your problem anyway Haruno?"

"Neji just drop it!" Tenten hissed, my eyes lowered, and I felt so stupid... I mean I pretty much just looked like a helpless damsel in distress. "Sorry... I just-" "Just what Haruno?" He asked obviously irritated, his voice was so cruel. It made my blood boil. "Stop it okay? Drop your whole 'I'm-better-than-you' crap okay? All you ever do is act so much better than everyone else and I'm getting so friggin' sick of it!" I yelled, "Well then maybe if you were stronger and not acting like you need someone to protect you, I wouldn't act the way you say!"

"I don't need someone to protect me!" My face was flushing in anger, and he gave me another arrogant look, before saying "Then why did you look like a little kid who was in trouble, before?" His question was so arrogant. Oh Kami was there never an end to his arrogance? So not thinking and still angry I yelled, "Well it's not my fault that the no-face scared the shit out of me!" I yelled at him, leaving him with a questioning look on his face.

Once I was far enough away I realized my mistake; he wouldn't know what a no-face is making me look even more like an idiot. I stormed away angrily, only to be met by Etsu. "Well it seems you just can't get enough of us huh, Sakura?" Etsu said, "Go crawl back into your hole, Etsu," I snapped before walking away. "Hey I'm talking to you!" She yelled I could feel the anger in her voice, but I didn't stop until she grabbed my shoulder it was then when I really snapped.

Grabbing her wrist I twisted it and threw her over my shoulder. Okito and Hideya charged at me, yelling profanities. The fight went for another ten minutes I felt so angry at myself and Neji; me for being weak and him for being a total ass. And I brought that into my fight.

Too bad that it made me suck. I was too focused on taking my anger out on one person that the other two would just disappear giving them another boost. So I forced my self to calm down and concentrate on everything around me.

--10 minutes before. Neji's P.O.V. --

I watched her storm away one question on my mind, what the hell was a no-face? I snapped out of my thoughts when some one slapped - me the sound of their skin hitting mine was loud. I glared at my attacker only to find that it was Tenten. "She's right Neji your always acting like your better than us and I'm getting tired of it! Stop acting like such a jerk. And quit being so mean to Sakura!" I was dumbfounded by Tenten's sudden courage, and I could only watch as she and Lee went out to find Sakura.

I wondered what she would think if I told her that I was always so "mean" to Sakura because she robbed me of my sleep, she invaded my thoughts during meditation, and how when I saw her I had an uncontrollable urge to grab her and hide her away so she'd be mine and mine alone. I didn't know what exactly she had done to make me feel this way but I did, even though I didn't want to... even though I didn't want to feel so bad about my earlier actions...even though I didn't want to feel the need to go to her. But I did feel all these things so I did end up following the path that my teammates had taken.

-- Sakura's P.O.V. --

I was beginning to get into the fight and was finally doing okay bringing out my switch blade I slit open some skin on Okito's calf, causing him to fall down clutching his leg. "One down two to go," I growled; Hideya let out a howl and attacked me. I blocked a few of his punches but my body was moving slower than it usually did making it easier for him to give me a few good blows.

"Hey get away from her!" I heard, jumping away as Tenten charged, ready to make a move on one of them but stopped when Hideya grabbed me from behind and dug a blade into my shoulder. "Back off or else I might feel the need to do some serious damage to our little friend here." I could almost feel the twisted grin on his face like I could smell the thick smell of alcohol on his breath.

"You bastard! You better let me go!" I yelled at him. "Oh? And what are you gonna do if I don't?" he asked pushing the blade farther into my shoulder. I gritted my teeth in pain - I wanted to scream out in pain but I wouldn't allow Etsu and these asses have the satisfaction of beating me.

My breathing was coming in ragged gulps, the pain in my shoulder burning, I felt as though someone had stuck a hot coal in my wound...shit, the blade was poisoned. Suddenly the affects of the poison began taking over my body. I felt woozy and my world was starting to black out but I did hear a yowl of pain behind me...I...f-feel so...sleepy.

--Neji's P.O.V--

I heard Tenten's voice come from this direction so I must be close... And soon enough I did find Sakura and my teammates. I began to pick up speed to hurry my arrival, and I got there just in time to see a boy stabbing Sakura in the shoulder - it made my chakra flare, and anger began to form inside me. So jumping down to him, I quickly shut down the boy's chakra system catching Sakura as he passed out.

"Well it seems Sakura has some new little friends," A pale boy with brown-red hair sneered preparing to attack me, "Okito stop being an idiot we got to get Hideya outta here," I turned to see a boy - or was it a girl? - Holding the boy I just knocked out. The other one - Okito growled at me again, before turning to leaving. "Tell the bitch we'll settle this later," And with that the last one left, his/her comrade slung over her shoulder. "Neji what are you doing here?" I looked over at Tenten to see her wearing a baffled expression.

"Hn," I said before shifting the girl in my arms so she was now laying bridal style in my arms. "Neji! What are you doing?" Tenten yelled at me again. This time I didn't bother to respond just took off. "Neji?! My rival filled with the Hyuuga youthfulness where do you think you're going?" Lee asked jumping after me. This was getting really annoying so instead of ignoring them as usual I finally said, "We should get her to her home for rest."

"But we don't even know where she lives!" Tenten said, "We don't need to," was my reply as I activated my Byakugan. I could see the small, faint traces of chakra that belonged to Sakura, and found the strongest of her chakra around an apartment building. Lee opened the door for me and I walked into the lobby only to be met by that Naruto kid, who immediately jumped at me, tearing Sakura from my arms and began screaming her name and shaking her relentlessly. "What did you do to her Hyuuga?!" He yelled accusingly at me.

"Naruto-san Neji has done nothing it was these not so youthful people!" Lee yelled in my defense taking a step forward. "Yeah Naruto I think one of their names was Okito..." Tenten said trailing of this however only seemed to get the blond even more upset. "Damn them!" He howled, then picked Sakura up bridal style and carried her up to a medium sized apartment. "Kyo-sensei we've got a problem!" He yelled and soon enough their caramel brown haired sensei came in.

Gently he took Sakura from Naruto and put her down on the couch. "Her wound is poisoned...we'll have to clean it out extremely well... oh and would you mind explaining why she's in this condition Hyuuga-san?" he looked over at me and slowly I told him what happened while Lee and Tenten would add a few things here and there. He nodded occasionally and stopped treating Sakura's wound to look at me. "Um...sir, what is a no-face?" Tenten asked wearily.

"They're the souls of deceased that are trapped here for different reasons. We from the Tenshi, Haruno, and Shinigami Tribes are trying to help you to open your eyes and see them." "Why?" Kyo-san took a deep breath and said, "Well you see some no-faces are dangerous and may try to devour your soul. Being able to see them might help you fight them and stop them from doing such things."

Tenten and Lee nodded, and I just stared at him impassively, when suddenly a groan came from the woman - I mean girl - that was lying on the couch. Slowly, Sakura stirred and slowly pushed herself into a sitting position, wincing at her shoulder. "Sakura, are you ok?" Naruto asked anxiously, starting towards her in concern. "Yea, I'm alright...ouch." Her hand went to her shoulder again – I guess it was really bugging her.

"You should rest," Kyo-san said to her. She let out a grunt of protest before flopping back to a laying position. While she was laying down again breathing slowly, my eyes caught the rise and fall of her developed chest - No! Damn, I'm a Hyuuga for Kami's sake, I should not be staring at a woman - girl - in such a way. I struggled to fight down a blush, which was harder than it sounds, before glancing to Lee and Tenten as a distraction.

"We should go. Thank you for clearing up the question of no-faces, Kyo-san." I stood; ready to leave, when Naruto interjected. "Hey, you guys should stay for lunch! As thanks for helping Sakura, if that's ok..." He glanced towards Kyo-san, who nodded. Great. Kami, please; kill me now. Before I could respectfully decline, Lee spoke up. "Why of course we would! It would be an honor to stay and eat with someone of your youthfulness." Kyo-san looked amused, but I was anything but. Stupid just had to open his mouth, and now I was stuck in the same room, at the same time, with Sakura. I sighed, nodding along to Lee's words. This day was going to be a lot longer than I expected.

--Sakura's P.O.V--

Stupid, stupid Naruto! He knew full well that Neji wasn't exactly my favorite person, and he just had to go and invite them for lunch. As soon as my shoulder was healed, the kid was going to get a good beating. Naruto and Kyo-sensei bustled off to make lunch, and I was left alone with Neji, Lee and Tenten. "So, Kyo-san said that if you wanted to see the no-faces, you had to have your eyes open...?" Tenten asked, trailing off.

"Well, yes, sort of. You see, think of your eyes having an imaginary barrier over them, limiting what you can see. When this barrier is broken, you can see the no-faces. For some people, the Sight comes easily and naturally, but for others, it takes a really long time. Back home, everybody gets it really quickly, right when you're just a baby. For others to get it, it usually takes a long time. Naruto picked up on it right after he came, which was a bit odd but not a bad thing." They all contemplated my words for a moment.

"Why do you need to see them anyways?" Neji asked. I tilted my head slightly and said, "Because, we've always known about the concept of the no-faces. However, you have no idea what these things are. Since we've been kids, we've been read stories, told legends, been introduced to these ideas. As Kyo-sensei mentioned before, some no-faces aren't exactly peaceful, and to ease their pain they try to devour the souls of the living, which is a bad thing. If you can see the no-faces, you can protect yourself against their attacks."

"You keep saying 'try'. So does that mean they're rarely ever successful?" Neji asked. "No, actually, they can be quite successful. They can even take down some of the strongest people I know. Sakura's father, for example." Kyo-sensei appeared in the doorway to the living room. I tensed – I didn't like talking about my father much. But Kyo-sensei gave my shoulder a comforting squeeze.

I had known since I was little that my father's death was not something to be angry or sad about – he was able to bring down the no-face with the loss of his soul. Part of the Sight is being able to control our feelings, like anger, jealousy, fear...they all obscured the true potential of the Sight. I cleared my thoughts and looked at Neji. He was now looking at his plate. Then Naruto came in. "The rice balls are ready!" He called loudly, bringing in a huge plate of rice balls. Kyo-sensei then left the room and retrieved a plate of sushi.

Lunch then went on quietly from here, small talk being made between different people. I had just finished when there was an impatient knocking on the door. Curious as to whom it was, I went and opened the door to see Sasuke staring back at me. "Why are you here?" I asked stupidly, holding the door. "Uh, training? Duh." He said, scowling at me. "Oh shit! I totally forgot! Hold on a sec," I said, turning back to the living room.

"Hey, Naruto! Sasuke is here, we have training! I glanced towards Lee, Tenten and Neji. "Sorry, but I'm going to have to kick you out, or you can come with us to training," I said. Damn, if they came, that meant that Neji would come too... But it wasn't like I could tell Lee and Tenten to come and not Neji. "We'll come," Tenten said, tossing her paper plate into the garbage. Neji and Lee followed, and Naruto and I barged out of the apartment, following Sasuke. We arrived at the training grounds to see a huge crowd.

"Hey, what's going on?" Naruto asked the nearest person he saw. "A match. Some kid challenged Miratashi Anko!" Struggling to see above the group of people, I gave up and settled for climbing onto Naruto's shoulders. Now that I could see the match, I was ready to see the kid get his butt kicked. A radio was sitting near the edge of the field, and I heard 'Hips Don't Lie' blasting loudly out of its speakers.

Suddenly Anko shot forward, going for the radio – presumably to either destroy it or change the volume. "DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH MY FREAKING RADIO!" My mouth fell open when I recognized Ryouichi. I quickly jumped off Naruto, and using chakra in my feet, I jumped from peoples shoulders until I was at the edge of the training field, before I launched myself at Ryouichi, tackling him to the ground.

"Damn, Sakura! That hurts! What are you, horny or something?" Giving him a playful punch on the shoulder, I grinned. "You have to help me! Those jackasses Shadow Seekers are here and you have to kick their asses!" I rolled off of him and pulled him to his feet, turning to see Anko looking very confused. "We'll finish this later," Ryouichi promised with a glare, before snatching up his radio and following me back to where Naruto, Neji, Lee, Tenten and Sasuke were.

"Ryouichi!" Naruto's happy yell split the air, and he rushed forward to meet us. "What's up, Blondie?" He said. Naruto grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head before saying, "Nothing much. You doing something later?" He nodded and put an arm around my shoulders and said, "Yea, baby-doll and me are gonna hit some clubs, get a few drinks, you know; what I usually do." I punched him on the shoulder again.

"Ow! And I thought I was the violent one," Ryouichi grumbled, and I gave him a fake scowl. "Don't call me 'baby-doll'." "Whatever you say, baby-doll." I glared at him, but I was happy that he was here anyway. I grinned in glee – just wait until Kyo-sensei found out! "So, you wanna dance baby-doll?" I raised an eyebrow, and said, "To what song?"

"You know what song, my song! I'm hurt that you've already forgotten about it," He said, mocking sadness and anger. I grinned and shook my head before he blasted the radio on again. Once again, 'Hips Don't Lie' was playing, and he grabbed me, twirling me around, and occasionally I would break away, swinging my hips like those Spanish dancers did. I glanced back at the rest of the group, and laughed really hard when I saw Sasuke's expression. Naruto was just grinning like an idiot, and Neji and Sasuke both looked as if they were going to have a heart attack.

--Neji's P.O.V.--

Damn! It was hard enough trying to not pay attention to her when she was doing normal things, but now she had to swing her hips and dance?!

...I need a long, very cold shower.

--Sasuke's P.O.V.--

Holy shit. These two just keep getting weirder and weirder! But now I know for sure...I'm going to use Sakura to revive my clan.

--Sakura's P.O.V.--

Dancing with Ryouichi was always fun... shit, not that presence again! I broke away from Ryouichi abruptly, and began scanning the area. Naruto and Ryouichi must have recognized the presence too, because they too began to search the area. "What's going on?" Tenten must have picked up on our tense feelings. "Turn off the radio," Ryouichi ordered, and I quickly flipped the 'off' switch.

It soon got extremely quiet. My eyes went to a certain corner of the training field, and I yelled, pointing, "There!" It was the same no-face from before. The siren-like sounds from its mouth hung in the air, although no one else but us three could hear it. It stepped forward, and taking a deep breath I began chanting out words in the spirit tongue. I had gained this shortly after Yukihiko's death, and it was useful.

Suddenly Sasuke's hands went to his ears, and his face screwed up discomfort. "What..." His words stopped when he saw the no-face; his eyes went wide, and he froze. Wait, Sasuke could see and hear the no-face?! His hands slowly came away from his ears, and he looked around. "What...where...what was that thing?! Where did it go?!" I would have to answer his question after we took care of the no-face.

I kept up my chanting, but the no-face attacked; it didn't want to be soothed or sent on, which wasn't good. Damn! I was hoping to not have to deal with it. A growl escaped my lips, and I said, "Alright, you wanna play? Let's play." I dodged the no-face's massive claws. "Shinigami Style: Gripping Darkness!" I yelled, and then the dark black shadow-like chakra darted out of my hands and attacked the no-face.

Only moves in the Shinigami or Tenshi style could affect no-faces when they were at this level; otherwise, everything else just passed through its body. The black charka flew right at the no-face. The no-face vanished at the last moment, letting my chakra continue on until it collided with a tree and sent an explosion rocking the area. "Damn," I hissed, glancing towards Naruto. He was utterly still, his eyes searching for any sign of movement.

Suddenly, he leaped backwards, and I saw the no-face crash into the space where he just was. His eyes met mine and I nodded. He leaped forward yelling "Fox Fire Jutsu!" And this time the attack hit its target. The no-face howled even louder, but refused to pass on. "Ice Blade Jutsu!" Ryouichi yelled. He condensed the moisture in the air to for a sword like weapon out of ice. And then he charged the at the no-face slicing at its head.

It let out a roar and disappeared. We whipped around checking every corner to make sure it had really left. "What the hell was that?!" Sasuke asked again, his eyes still wide from shock. I tried to steady my breath then swallowed and looked at him "That was-" "Sakura look out!" Ryouichi yelled but it was to late the no-face was now holding me in mid air crushing my body.


	8. Fears, Team 8, and Love At First Sight

**Hola! I'm finally back! AND I'M SO SORRY THIS WAS SO LATE! I tried to type up what I had as soon as i got back but then I got horribly ill, and I guess my punishment for not getting this to you sooner was puking my guts out! Anyway I hope you like this, There is a bit of NaruHina in here for those who've been waiting! It took longer than expected to get to this, but we're finally there!**

**Also I'd like to thank all of our reviewers so thanks!! you guys rock!!**

**-kitsungirl1**

**p.s. school is starting soon, so it might take longer to update! Sorry! **

Chapter 8: Fears, Team 8, and Love At First Sight

The no-face was clutching my body as though to squeeze the life out of me, and so far it was doing pretty well. My lungs were screaming for air and my body felt like it'd just break from the pressure. I could hear the others screaming my name; feel their attacks landing on the no-face. I began wheezing trying to get air into my lungs; if the boys weren't giving up, neither was I.

Then I began to wiggle my body upward and when that didn't work I forced my lungs to expand with chakra and I gulped down air, ignoring the pain of feeling my organs press against my ribs. "I-iron... d-d-defen...se" I managed to choke out from my lungs. I forced a large amount of gathered chakra out of my body to form a shield and separate my body from the no-faces grip. I suppose this must have surprised it or something because it dropped me right away, and I landed right away but waited until I jumped back far enough to _really_ start gulping down air.

"Sakura..." I turned my head to see it was a stunned Sasuke that had said my name. I took another deep breath to calm my self before jumping forward, "Earth animation jutsu!" I yelled - I was surprised by the strength in my voice, because I was still unbelievably scared. Then I shook my head to clear my thoughts - right now I had to concentrate on my jutsu; I sent waves of my chakra over the land, and then vines, trees, and even the grass grew, trying to hold the no-face in a death trap.

However this didn't work so well compared to the strength of the no-face's clawed hands - trees were sticks, vines were stings and grass was like sand that had pilled up. I couldn't help myself from letting my lips curl up in a triumphant smile; even though it didn't stop, or even slow the no-face down... it was a nice distraction. "Twin blizzard jutsu!" Naruto and Ryouichi yelled in unison. I whirled around and charged in the oppisite direction.

"Get down!" I yelled launching myself in their direction; I instinctively tucked my head in as chunks of snow and ice began flying everywhere. I couldn't see anything as I practically flew towards the others so I didn't know whether or not to feel sorry for whoever's body I collided into. We both shared a painful groan, but we both kept our heads down - neither one of us dared to lift our heads.

When I was sure the jutsu had worn off I pushed myself up into a sitting position shaking the artificial snow off my body. I carefully observed the surrounding area; the no-face had apparently escaped. I gave a heavy sigh and let my shoulders sag slightly but I refused to let my guard down again. "Haruno..." said a strained voice, I looked around for the owner of the voice. "Get off, Haruno..." the strained voice said again, this time growling slightly.

Then I realized that I had been sitting on the owner of the voice looked down and sprang off of my sitting place. A blush took over my face and I pretended to dust imaginary dirt from my cloths. I had been sitting on (and at one point laying on) Neji! I blushed more deeply at the thought.

**'Ha. and you said you didn't love our Neji-kun! Shanarro!' **'Just shut up! Anyway. I don't love him... I just have a tiny insignificant crush!' **'Mm-hmm that's why you dream of doing such naughty things with him!' **I could feel my cheeks flame up at the blunt truth in that statement... not that I enjoyed seeing I half naked Neji in my dreams...Damn that's HOT. I mean... **'Yeah you totally don't have a crush on him!**' My inner snickered. My cheeks flushed deeper when I received a questioning look from everyone including a certain Hyuuga.

"So... were you scared Hyuuga?" I said taunting him, that way people wouldn't notice my insane blush so much... or at least get me back to my some what normal status... nevermind, I was never normal in the first place. "I'm a Hyuuga; I fear nothing," He stated, crossing his arms over his chest; I raised my eyebrows and gave him my 'I-don't-believe-you-for-a-second-so-you-might-as-well-fess-up' look. Then I said, "No living person has no fears."

"Is that what you tell yourself when you scream at your shadow?" he retorted in his 'I am soooo much smarter than you so just give up,' way. "Well if you really are fearless, than prove it!" I said forcing myself to stay calm - I wouldn't allow myself to give him the pleasure of letting him see me mad. He gave me a look that said 'watever-I-am-still-better-than-you-so-lets-get-this-over-with'.

"What do you want me to do to prove to you that I have no fears?" He asked, his expression was bored; I tilted my head to one side, and thought for a few seconds before an evil smile viciously attackedy face. "Kiss me," I said, that caught his and everyone else's too, "You can't be serious!" He said - he took a step towards me waiting to see me laugh, cringe, or something.

"What's the matter, scared?" I asked in a taunting tone, taking a step towards him as well. He kept assessing my face, waiting for me to slip up... his eyes almost looked desperate. "Sakura-san you must be joking! You... you can't kiss him!" Lee yelled, hurt written all over his face, "Er... relax Lee, I was... was just ... j-joking," I have no idea why it was so hard to get that sentence out or why - I felt my heart twitch when I said it - but it worked well enough that his face relaxed, and his shoulders sagged.

"Wow, that was a surprise..." Naruto said trailing off, something triggered in my brain right then. "Oh._Oh_!" I said suddenly. Everyone turned to stare at me giving me a look like I was loosing my mind. I flashed Naruto a grin before saying, "You know I never really did get to give you a birthday gift, so close your eyes!" He winced at the word 'birthday' but closed his eyes with out questions, a frown working itself onto his face.

I got out a summoning scroll, opened it, then I bit my thumb and ran it over part of the scroll; there was a large poof of smoke, and in my hands I held an original Les Paul electric guitar. It was a sleek black color, and in bright crimson paint it had Kitsune written on the back. At the top of the neck it had a crimson bow tied tightly around it. "Ok look!" He opened his eyes and immediately went into shock. "Is that...that is..." he was sucking in air like he thought it would all just disappear, and then with shaky hands he took the guitar from me.

"T-thank you, Sakura...YOU'RE THE BESTEST BESTEST BEST FRIEND A GUY COULD HAVE!" he said, still staring at the guitar in shock. "But...that must have cost a fortune! Where did you get the money?" I avoided his look. "I... had some funds just sitting around, waiting to be used." He stared at me for a moment before something clicked. "Don't you dare tell me that it was the money that you had saved for your Imperial Academy training." A line of rage undermined his question.

When I didn't respond, he continued. "Sakura, no! That was your dream, you shouldn't have bought this-" I stopped him quickly, shaking my head. "No, that was my grandfather's dream. Not mine." He stumbled like he was ready to burst, his face completely red. "Naruto, you don't get it. I never really wanted to go the Imperial Academy, but my grandfather thinks that I'm going to make history in the academy, but I'm not! I'm just not cut out for that stuff."

He gave me a considering look before asking, "Then what was it for?" I paused before giving him the most innocent answer I could. "Oh, maybe just a four-karat diamond ring with emeralds set on the sides and a white gold band..." I gave a nervous laugh. He stared at me like I had just proclaimed my undying love for Lee and that I was going to conform to Gai-ism so we could raise our children in the most youthful ways of the green spandex jumpsuit.

He blinked a few times and then said, "You...you two...YOU TWO WERE SAVING UP FOR AN ENGAGEMENT RING?!" The shock was clear across his face, and I had to resist a snicker. It was actually rather obvious what the money was for if you knew Yuki and I well enough. "Well, it was going to start out as a promise ring, but then...well, we were closer than that." I shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant.

Although Naruto still seemed shocked, I could tell he was realizing my words were true.

"Hmm." he finally grunted, and I nearly sighed as he let the matter drop. This was not something I wanted to bring up in front of Neji, Lee, Tenten and Sasuke. But of course, what I wanted was just not going to happen, was it? Neji spoke up. "Explain." I gave him a glare. "I don't have to explain anything to you," I retorted, but then Lee picked up on it too. "Yes, Sakura-san, please explain! The rest of us don't understand what you're talking about."

I gave a sigh "Lee-" "Yukihiko was her boyfriend... He was the former leader of the Silver Dragons... but he died 2 years ago..." Naruto said, cutting off my words. I gave him a look and he shrugged. "Your boyfriend." Neji sounded uninterested.

"Yes," I snapped at him, "But he was more than that. Everyone respected Yuki, not only just for the fact that he was the leader of one of the most powerful gangs, but because he sorta...commanded it. Not on purpose, but the way he held himself, the way he treated others – it was hard not to respect him. He was also smart, or at least I thought he was..." I trailed off, suddenly choked by overwhelming grief. What was with me? He had died a long time ago; I had stopped grieving a year ago... Suddenly what I had to do was clear to me: I needed to leave, and I needed to leave _now._

"I'll see you later," I said quickly to Naruto before turning and dashing away, feeling his confused look boring through my back. Running felt good – it helped to clear the grief and my mind. I finally stopped and looked where I was. More training grounds. That's all my life was doomed to, wasn't it? But I figured I should train anyway – the physical strain would clear my mind.

As I headed forward, I realized that the training ground I was in front of was already occupied. How had I not noticed this? I headed towards the trees, letting the shadows hide my existence. As I got closer to the group, I stopped, watching them carefully. There were two guys and a small girl.

One of the guys had dark hair and sunglasses, and had a huge oversized coat on that had a very high collar. The other had on a grey jacket with fur lining the hood, and – was that a dog? – hiding in the top. He had red streaks of paint under his eyes. The girl was small, slight, with dark purple hair. Her eyes appeared white from my distance, and I wondered if she was blind. Suddenly, the dog on the guy's head gave a sharp bark, and the girl turned my way. Veins appeared along the sides of her eyes...wait a minute, I recognized that bloodline! She was a Hyuuga?! Why would this surprise me?

I suddenly felt really stupid. Obviously Neji was not the only person in his clan. She said something to the others, gesturing with one of her hands towards where I was hiding. They all ran towards me, and I made no effort to move. There was no reason for them to attack me... was there? Each landed in front of me, forming an easy formation – it was pretty obvious that they were a team. I stepped out from the trees. "Hello," I said, not thinking of anything better to say. I received wary looks from the two guys – at least I think I did...the one with the sunglasses made it rather hard to see his emotions.

Only the girl smiled at me, and now that I was closer I could see that her eyes were not white, but instead a very, very light shade of lavender. The same as Neji's, I noted to myself. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" The one with the dog demanded; now the dog stood besides him, and I realized that it was actually quite large. I was about to say something when the dog growled viciously at me and then attacked. With a cry, I darted to the side just in time, caught off guard by its sudden attack. I hadn't done anything – why was it attacking?!

"Akamaru!" the guy cried, reaching out after the dog as I darted away, the dog following me. It growled at me as though I were a demon – and then it hit me. Demons. _Lion_ demons. The scent of my lions was always mixed with mine, and that was probably what was setting him off. Since I didn't want to hurt it, I decided to go with the scare tactic. "Summoning Jutsu!" I cried, slamming my hand into the earth.

Yasue, Yori, and Yoko all poofed into existence next to me. They were triplet cubs and all worked well with each other. They spotted the dog immediately; and simultaneously roared. The effect was brilliant. The dog stopped in its tracks, its tail went up its legs, and he turned and bolted back towards his owner. Satisfied, I gave each lion a pat and a word of thanks before letting them disappear. I headed warily back towards the three, keeping an eye on the dog. Apparently it had no intentions of dealing with me and my lions again.

"Uh...sorry about that, I guess...Akamaru told me you smelled of demons, so I didn't try to stop him." He gave me a sheepish grin, and I accepted the apology with a nod. I turned slightly towards the Hyuuga girl. "You're a Hyuuga, aren't you?" I asked, and she seemed startled by my question. "Y-yes, I a-am; my n-name is H-hinata Hyuuga." she said in a small voice, stuttering over her words. This surprised me. Weren't Hyuuga's supposed to be calm, smart, confident? Although she displayed the first two qualities, the third was in major lacking.

"I'm Sakura Haruno." I gave her a smile, and she returned it tentatively. "I'm Kiba Inuzaka, and this is Shino Aburame," the one with the dog interjected loudly; with a flicker of annoyance I gave him and his other teammate a nod. I returned my attention to Hinata. "Do you know Neji? Well, I mean, you probably do, you're related, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you know him..." I stopped myself from rambling on too long.

She nodded. "Y-yes, he's m-my c-c-cousin," she stuttered. For some reason, I found this very odd and slightly amusing. Neji, the prick, the stick-up-his-ass, had such a timid, adorable little itty bitty thing of a girl for a cousin? I began laughing, and Kiba scowled. I guess he was used to being the one talked to and was put off by not being included in the conversation. "What's so funny?" He snapped at me, and I managed to stop laughing and sigh. "It's just that...well; Neji and Hinata couldn't be farther apart."

Hinata, for some reason, apparently didn't find this funny at all. She only made a small jerky movement with her head that I assumed to be a nod and had a hurt expression on her face. "H-how... how d-do you k-know Neji?" She asked, her small voice barley reaching my ears. "We met on a training ground...wow do you think I'll meet everyone on a training ground...?"

"Wait does that mean you're not from around here? I mean I've never seen you, and you must be around our ages, but I never saw you at the academy." I nodded with a heavy sigh. "Yeah, I used to live in this nice little tribe, 'bout a months travel from here, but then I was forcefully relocated." A confused look adorned his face as he took a few seconds to mull over my words, before he replied, "Oh... so if you're from a tribe... does that mean you're all like, living in the middle of nowhere, and wearing animal pelts, and living in the great outdoors?" he asked looking at me intently.

"K-kiba! T-that w-was rude... you s-shouldn't a-ask about stuff l-like that!" Hinata immediately said, but I merely laughed and shook my head. "No it's all right, and no we don't do anything like that, we have modern technology, and a pretty awesome cable system!" "Oh" was all he said in reply. "Sakura-san, my love, my beautiful cherry blossom!" I suppressed a groan, and turned towards a certain green clad figure. You know... he looks like a booger from here.

My team along with Team Gai, came speeding towards me, "Neko-chan!" Naruto cried throwing his arms around me, "Did I tell you that you're the Bestest most incredibly awesome, prettiest, and smartest Bestest best friend around?" "Huh... did you get over the shock that was caused by the sheer magnitude of awesomeness my gift causes?" "Uh-huh!" He said happily, wow... do you think some one shook him as a baby and dislocated a few wires?

Then he finally stopped, and let me go, grinning happily. I looked over the faces of the others. Neji was currently glaring at his poor, unguarded cousin and it ticked me off. "Quit it," I told him, and he obviously didn't realize I was speaking to him, so I grabbed a magical stick of wonderment and jabbed him in the sides a few times. "Hey, Hyuuga! I'm talking to you. Leave Hinata alone." He turned around and fixed the same glare at me. "Stay out of it, Haruno," He said cooly. I gave him a glare of my own and began, "Well, I will not stay out of it, because-"

I stopped when I noticed Naruto's expression. He was staring at Hinata as if she was the most wonderful thing on the earth – it sorta freaked me out because Naruto never paid any attention to girls – well, he did, but not like this look. "Um, Naruto? You all right there?" I asked, waving a hand in front of his face. He didn't even blink, but only continued to stare at Hinata. The poor girl's face turned even redder as she looked at the ground, twiddling her thumbs.

"Naaarrrruuuutttoooo." I made the word long and precise, snapping my fingers in front of his eyes, waving my hand around again. And once again he ignored me. I sighed and grabbed his arm. "Pay attention." I raised and lowered his arm, waving it about crazily and even curling his fingers back to poke him in the head. "Pay attention. Naruto. Respond to my voice." The kid had gone comatose with love.

I thought he'd gone into a coma or something...horrible! He'd have to leave me all his stuff, all his money... But then, my dream - I MEAN NIGHTMARE – ended as he gave me an irritated look. "Would you let go of my arm?" Sheepishly I let his arm drop from my grip. "You fall asleep or something there?" I asked teasingly. He frowned. "No...why?"

"Because if you keep staring at Hinata like that, all the blood will go to her face and she's gonna faint!" Hearing this only made her blush harder – if that was even possible. "Oh," he said stupidly, quickly averting his eyes...I could have sworn that I saw a tinge of pink on his cheeks. Kiba and Shino were giving him weird looks (well, at least Kiba was – I dunno about Shino...) when suddenly Akamaru started barking like mad, and there was a blur of movement as someone lunged at me. "Gotcha now, Sakura," an ominous voice said into my ear.

DAMN ETSU. Damn her to the depths of hell, damn her to the sun, damn her to a bakers oven – damn her to whatever was hot enough to cause her pain, hot, blistering pain, and lots of it! We were ambushed by two other figures – one lunged for Neji, the other for Hinata. He had a knife in hand, and I swore that it would do serious damage...if it hadn't been for Naruto, getting in the way. A low growl came from his throat and he glared at Okito.

In one hand he held Okito's wrist, while the other had stopped the knife from cutting Hinata. "If you ever touch a single hair on her head, I swear to Kami that I'm gonna break your fucking neck." His voice was so dark that I couldn't tell if it was a threat or a promise. Neji had (unsurprisingly) stopped Hideya, and I currently had Etsu pinned underneath me. Naruto then dropped Okito and said darkly, "Take your pathetic little friends and get the hell out of here." I studied his face for a moment.

Suddenly, my bubbly, crazy best friend was gone, replaced by a towering blonde stranger. Blue eyes darkened to crimson; his face was cold and uncaring. Neji and I simultaneously released our attackers and the three of them ran as if all hell had broken loose. Naruto's eyes then faded back to blue, and his face seemed to soften. He turned slightly to face Hinata. "Are you alright?" He asked softly, as if the last few minutes had never happened.

Hinata was barely able to nod. Her face had paled and her legs trembled slightly – she had most likely gone into shock, like the rest of us. But who would have thought that Naruto would go all demonic as a result of something as stupid as an attack by Etsu?

These Hyuugas were really screwing us over.


	9. Dinner Dates

**AN: hello! I'm trying to get as many chapters up, as possible because school will begin within a few short weeks. Anyway sorry but it seems that Sasuke is trying to steal Sakura's heart, by buying dinner! Dun dun da dun!! -kitsunegirl1 **

**Hey there! Haven't heard much from me lately eh? But as with what Kitsunegirl1 said, we're doing a before-school-starts-rush to get stuff in. After school starts production will slow way down! but I'm hoping that we can get in a lot. Plus, I may have a story of my own up soon...or not? -Kitsunegirl2**

Chapter 9: Dinner Dates

"Geeze Naruto, that was a little overboard! Get a little control, ok? You scared the shit out of us!" I told him as I gave him a little shove. He dropped his head slightly and gave a small nervous laugh. "Heh sorry... are you sure you're okay?" he asked Hinata again. She gave a meek nod, still looking down at the ground. She tried to keep her head down, so that the others couldn't see how scared she still was.

Who would've thought that Naruto, would fall for a Hyuuga who looked like she might die from blushing so much? "Well... If you ever need help again, just tell me, 'kay?" He told her cheerfully; yeah, he was so in love. Hinata had Naruto wrapped around her finger, and she didn't even know it.

"Yeah, what are you gonna do, hot shot?" Kiba growled at Naruto...Oh Kami... LOVE TRIANGLE!! I thought snickering slightly, "Well I did a lot more than you." He protested, narrowing his eyes at Kiba. I could feel a spike in his chakra and immediately stepped in. "Ok, Naruto! Let's just let this go, ok? They left, that's all that mattered." I didn't want him to go all demonic again...that was not something that the others should have seen.

"So... what the hell just happened?" Sasuke asked from behind me, and I assumed he meant with the no-face. I suddenly remembered that he had actually seen it! Who would have thought that _Sasuke_ would be the first to actually open his eyes? "You saw it," I addressed him. He nodded slowly, and everyone else just looked confused. "What you saw was a no-face. They're the souls of the deceased who have to stay on earth for some reason or another, and sometimes they become violent. That no-face was one of the strong violent ones, although why it's here or following us around, I have no clue." I finished and appraised him carefully.

Sasuke was silent, brooding over my words. "But why could I see it? No one else can, and I only saw it for a moment. Why did I loose it?" "You saw it because...well, because..." I trailed off. I really had no reason as to why he saw it. "Honestly I have no clue. But I think that your emotions might have been the key to it. Naruto first got the Sight when he fell asleep during meditation. If your emotions are haywire, then nothing is going to happen. You have to calm down and take a breather." I laughed to myself – it had been rather comical when he had first seen a no-face.

"So if we calm down and relax, we'll be able to see like you, Sakura-san?" Lee asked in an excited voice. I paused before nodding. "I think that it may work...but there's no guarantee." I said slowly, trying to drive the point of 'no guarantee' into his head. With a grin, Lee dropped into a sitting position on the ground, closing his eyes and forcing himself to relax. I sighed, exasperated. "Lee, it's not going to work just like that," I told him, shaking my head. I wished it was that easy as to just sit down and relax.

"You have to really believe...there are so many lessons you haven't learned!" Lee stared up at me with big, upset eyes and a pouting expression. "It's not your fault, though. Don't worry about it." "Wait a second...lessons; is that some kind of training? I want it!" Kiba demanded, but I was guessing that he had no clue what we were talking about. He had missed the no-face attack and therefore probably was totally confused; I bet that he was just trying to look cool and like he understood everything.

Why were boys so childish? Before I could say though anything, Naruto interrupted, "Ha! I bet you couldn't even last one lesson," He goaded. Kiba growled and said, "Oh yeah? Tonight, at midnight, sharp! I'll show you I can stand these lessons." I stood there, mouth open. "Don't I get a say in this?" I demanded. "NO!" Both boys yelled simultaneously. I gave Naruto a glare.

"You idiot, you couldn't teach him anything even if you wanted to. I'll be the one giving the lessons here; we can't have people disappearing or dying on us, now can we?" It was partially true and partially intended as a scare tactic, and I think the latter worked more. Kiba finally looked a little bit uncomfortable. "A-are they r-r-really that b-bad?" Hinata stuttered, looking frightened.

I gave her a wink that no one else but she could see to calm her down a bit. "Oh yes," I said loudly, "They're really horrible. Many people don't survive even the first lesson, and after that, they can still die very easily." Naruto rolled his eyes next to me but didn't say anything – he was enjoying this as much as I was. "In fact, why don't you all come!" I said they all looked at me as though considering my invitation.

"Well if you want to come than show up here at midnight, but keep it secret - we can't have too many people showing up, and we _really_ don't need Kyo-sensei finding out; who knows how he'll react." There was silence through the group. "See you at midnight, then," Naruto said, aiming his taunt towards Kiba, who scowled back at him. Giving everyone a mocking wave, Naruto smiled sweetly at Hinata before grabbing my hand and pulling me away. "Bye," I called, turning and heading away with him.

We waited a few hours for Kakashi (after all, Sasuke had come to get us to train in the first place) and then spent the rest of the day training. It was pretty boring, compared to what I was used to. All we were doing was chakra control! It was like going back and re-taking my very first classes, but thankfully practice didn't last long, so I didn't have to suffer too much. "Hey...Lets go out and eat again!" Naruto yelled happily after training, I gave a shrug.

"Sure whatever," I said nonchalantly, Naruto beamed happily and grabbed my hand to drag me away. When I noticed Sasuke, walking... all alone... with a sigh I asked "Do you want to come too Sasuke?" DAMN ME AND MY CONSCIOUS!! He seemed to jerk out of his thoughts, before he gave me a look and caught up with me and Naruto. We walked silently through the streets, when Sasuke stopped outside a nice, and small, restaurant. "Let's go here," He said, Naruto glared at him, "But I wanna get some ramen!" He whined childishly.

Rolling my eyes at Naruto I gave a sigh and said "Sorry but I was going with Naruto so-" "I'll pay," He said, giving him at look I replied "well what are we waiting for? I'm starved!" I grabbed his hand and began leading him into the restaurant. "Traitor!" Naruto hissed while glaring at me. Ok so I know I was being mean and a bit shallow for deciding to ditch my best friend just so I don't have to pay, but my wallet was running on empty and I needed to conserve as much money as possible. Naruto however did not see it that way, and in a huff took off towards the Ramen stand.

"Let's go," Sasuke said to me pushing me into the restaurant. We of course were seated right away, and were spoiled with attention, due to Sasuke's 'The last of my extremely powerful clan so shut up and do whatever I say,' status. I however had lost interest and regretted going with Sasuke after a few minuets; people (mostly girls) kept glaring at me and then Sasuke decided to take a freakin' vow of silence and wouldn't say anything. So I found it very difficult to stop my mind from wandering.

I thought back on all the happenings of today and then I began making a check list of all the things that I would have to go through in the lesson tonight. I would also have to explain the reasons no-faces are created, how dangerous they could be, and how they get more powerful. These things Naruto and I could manage, but then there was protecting them incase another no-face decided to show up. "Sakura...Sakura... SAKURA!" I snapped out of my thoughts to see Sasuke holding onto my forearm (which earned me more glares and a few hisses by the surrounding girls), looking into my eyes.

His eyebrows were raised, which gave him a slightly worried expression. "Uh wah? Oh...Sorry...guess I zoned out a little." "Hn," He said but his eyes still stared into mine. Nervously I pretended to fix the bun I kept my hair in. He looked me over for a second, before finally relaxing his position, and releasing my arm. "_Sooo,_ what were you saying...?" I could see questions rising on his face. He looked away for a second before asking "How do you deal with it?" I gave him a look, with my eyebrows raised, waiting for him to elaborate, "With seeing those...monsters." He lowered his voice right here and practically whispered, "The no-faces."

I stared at him for a moment in complete shock; I never would have thought that the great Sasuke Uchiha would tremble... or that he would show it. "Well it's not easy" I said looking as honest as possible, "First I turned to drugs, and alcohol, and even a blade... but than I realized it was a lot more fun to have random hate sex with every guy that had a pulse." A growl came from his throat and he glared at me. "Would you be serious?! I'm trying to be honest with you!" I sighed, giving him an apologetic look.

"Look, Sasuke, I was raised with no-faces around me 24/7. I live with it as easily as you live with the sun going up and down every day. Once you can fully see them, it doesn't bug you as much." I explained, he looked away, I shook my head, and we sat in silence until the waitress came with our order, she was over perky and kept eyeing Sasuke like he was a piece of meat, I could understand why he was close to suicide risk.

Once she left I dug into my food, while Sasuke merely picked at his moving it from one side of the plate to the other. "What's the Imperial Academy?" I gave him a questioning look before saying, "Well well, aren't you the curious little Uchiha today, huh?" He shot me another dirty look before I continued seriously, "The Imperial academy is a training program of sorts, only the best of the best are selected." He nodded slowly mulling over my words before asking_ another_ question.

"So why don't you want to go there?" His eyebrows were raised slightly, "Well you see the training is excruciating, and the hours are long, and it's hard to..." My voice trailed off, and I automatically looked away; a blush was taking over my face. "Hard to what?" He asked; biting my lip nervously, I said; "It's hard to... to raise a family." He gave me another look that said 'What the fuck?' I shook my head, deeply embarrassed. "Can we stop playing twenty questions now?" I asked, now playing with my food as well. He gave a curt nod in my direction, and allowed a comfortable silence to settle around us.

**'Why can't our Neji-kun take us out for dinner instead?!' **My inner voice whined, mentally I growled at her, 'He's not our Neji-kun!' I screamed at her. **'Ha you called him **_**Neji-kun! **_**Shannarro!' **I let out a groan and began massaging my temples. Why couldn't she just let me have a moment of peace? Sasuke turned my way at my groan. "Headache," I mumbled, still rubbing my head.

Just then the door to the restaurant opened, and I absentmindedly turned to see who had entered. In came a girl with long very blonde hair, a guy with dark hair up in a high topknot and a bored expression on his face, and another guy who was chubby and holding a bag of chips. The blonde girl's eyes swept the restaurant before landing on Sasuke, and she let out an amazingly annoying and high-pitched squeal before bounding over. "Why hello Sasuke-kun!" she said brightly, although Sasuke couldn't have been further from her enthusiasm if he was dead.

"Hn," he said, crossing his arms over his chest with an annoyed expression on his face. I was slightly annoyed too – my inner had already given me a headache, and a loud high-pitched squeal wasn't the best medication for them. I glanced away from her and towards the street. There, standing directly in front of the window, grinning arrogantly, was Etsu. She caught my eye and winked mockingly.

"I'll be right back" I said quickly to Sasuke, standing and heading towards the door. He shot me a look that clearly said 'Oh-I'm-so-gonna-get-you-later-for-leaving-me-alone-with-the-crazy-blonde-girl' and then I took the opportunity to leave. Walking outside I dashed towards Etsu, who shifted into a little bit of a crouch. "Well well, Sakura, getting a little close with your teammate there, eh?" She goaded, raising an eyebrow at me. I ignored her taunts. "Go to hell, Etsu," I snarled, whipping a switchblade out of my weapons pouch and jumping towards her.

She caught my wrist, spun me, and then sent me flying through the glass window. It exploded around me, and I ducked and pulled my head into my arms before crashing on top of the table where Sasuke and I had sat only a few minutes before, and where he was still sitting, this time with the annoying blonde. I landed on my back, everything crashing around me. The waitress stood openmouthed. Coughing up a little blood, I said, "Can I get the rest of my food in a box to go, please?" She still stared at me but nodded dumbly and _slowly_ retreated.

Wincing, I slid off the table, plucking bits of glass out of my arm. Sasuke stared at me and then glanced outside, where Etsu waved and then disappeared into a crowd. "Her again?" Sasuke growled, and I nodded. "Yup. Etsu." I pulled more fragments of glass out of my other arm. The blonde was staring at me like the waitress had, and I shot her an annoyed look. "What?" I asked sighing as the last piece of glass slid out. I had to remember to stay away from glass next time I was fighting with Etsu – pulling it out of your arms wasn't fun.

"Uh...who're you?" Finally the blonde managed to find her voice. "Haruno Saukra, and you are?" I asked. "Yamanaka Ino," she said slowly, glancing towards Sasuke and then me. "I've never seen you around before. How do you know Sasuke-kun?" She asked, and I guessed that she was probably another Sasuke fangirl. "This is such a drag," a voice complained behind me, and I turned to see both of the guys that Ino had entered with; the one with the dark hair and the still-bored expression had spoken.

"Oh right, my name is Haruno Sakura." I took the liberty of introducing myself. "These are my teammates, Nara Shikamaru and Akamichi Choji," Ino said, pointing to each person in turn – the dark-haired one was Shikamaru, and the chubby one was Choji. "Hey!" Choji said cheerfully, I smiled at him, and blinked in surprise when a blush covered his cheeks. "This is so troublesome," The other boy – Shikamaru - said. "Couldn't agree with you more."

A toothy grin plastered onto my face as I shook my head. Then the waitress came back with the rest of my food boxed up, and handed it to me. "Hey Sasuke thanks for dinner," I called to him, hoping that he would hear over the obnoxious blonde's voice; he sent me a glare that clearly said 'If-you-leave-me-with-her-I-will-so-kill-you', I however chose to ignore it.

"So are you two gonna wait for her to stop harassing my teammate or do you wanna go for a little walk?" I asked the boys out of pity. Both shrugged. I then hopped back up on the table and prepared to leap out the window. "What are you doing? Why don't you just use the door?" Choji asked, and I replied, "Doors are for people with no imagination." I then leaped out the window, being careful to pull my arms and legs in as to avoid the edges of the shattered glass window.

I began walking again, inspecting my arms as I went along; then cuts didn't look too bad, they weren't long or deep, but my arms would be sore for the rest of the day. I let out a small grunt as I poked at the cuts; shaking my head I used a simple medical jutsu to heal both arms. And as I thought both of my arms were still sore and tender. **'Damn that Etsu to the fiery pits of hell!'** My inner voice hissed at me. 'Sorry I already did that if you were listening earlier when she attacked you would know that.'

"Sakura," I turned my body slightly to face whoever was calling me, it was Sasuke followed by Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji. I nodded in their direction before I continued to walk slowing my pace slightly. Sasuke caught up with me quickly; Ino, of course, was trying to get him to talk to her, date her, anything – and it wasn't working. Everyone walked in silence – well, accept Ino. I think I must have made a wrong turn or something because now I was walking on a bridge.

And if that weren't enough, Ino would just not shut up! I could understand how Sasuke could flat-out reject her. Giving a sigh, I looked over the edge of the bridge. It was pretty far above a rushing river. And then, an idea popped into my head. It was mildly – no, wait, hugely – dangerous, and stupid, but better than listening to Ino babble all day. So taking a deep breath, I jumped up and onto the railing of the bridge. No one really noticed at first, until I said, "Do you think that I could die from this height?"

Sasuke's head snapped up. "What the fuck are you doing?!" He hissed angrily. "Honestly, I believe that this could be called a suicide attempt." I said, rolling my eyes at him. "Duh, anyone should know that." And then I readied myself to jump into the river. I jumped up, but landed back on the railing, sensing Sasuke's chakra spike. I turned, narrowing my eyes at him. "Did you really think that I would try and kill myself? Honest, Sasuke, not everyone is as suicidal as you are." I turned and kept walking, balancing myself on the railing.

He sent me his all powerful Uchiha glare. Choji, Shikamaru, and Ino were all looking at me like I was crazy, and I probably was, considering that I had this urge to piss of Sasuke and Neji, who were both from extremely powerful clans... I think I will probably get myself killed before I can make it past genin. "You...you... YOU'RE INSANE!!" Ino screamed at me, Shikamaru and Choji just nodded, still in shock. "Yes I probably am," I said in reply, I could still feel Sasuke's piercing glare, still boring it's way into my back.

All that was needed now was for Lee to come running and say how he could do anything for me. Vaguely I heard someone say, "Lee stop running so fast you'll ruin the flowers!" Wow I must be a fuckin' psychic! "Sakura-san, my love, who is the most youthfully inclined person I have ever met... would you honor me with your presence on Friday night?" ...Did he just ask me out? I stood, feeling my cheeks go pink. "Lee, thank you for asking, but I'm not sure. I'll have to check with Kyo-sensei ok?" I smiled at him and he held out a bouquet of flowers.

I noticed Tenten standing behind him, and she was watching me with a smile on her face. I leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and he turned very red and looked as if he was about to fall over from joy. '**What in the hell are you doing?! You can't kiss Lee or go out with him, what about our Neji-kun?' **My inner screamed as soon as I pulled away. 'First, HE'S NOT OUR NEJI-KUN! Second, I can do whatever I like, even if that includes going out with Lee.' I didn't want to flat-out refuse to go with him in front of everybody...that would be mean and besides, what was the harm in telling him that I didn't know if I could or not?

'**You. Kissed. Him. You are not supposed to be kissing Lee. You're not supposed to kiss Lee when you're going to be raping Neji in the near future!' **'I will not rape Neji-kun...I mean Neji! I will not rape NEJI!' I mentally screamed, **'Oh yeah? Let's see if you can resist this!'** She said cackling evilly, and suddenly I was attacked by a barrage of mental images of Neji, some of them had me in them... in suggestive positions. My eyes went wide with horror...or was it the opposite? 'YOU'RE A REALLY, REALLY TERRIBLE INNER, YOU KNOW THAT?' I screamed at her, and then I noticed that Sasuke was staring at me, as was everyone else.

"Um...oops? Guess I must have zoned there." I ginned sheepishly and adopted Naruto's trait of scratching the back of my head. "You seem to be zoning a lot," Sasuke noted, narrowing his eyes. "Sure you don't have a mental problem?"

"Well, I never exactly said that I was sane, did I?" He said nothing but a disgruntled, "Hn." Lee was still staring at me in admiration and now Tenten really looked as if she was going to start laughing. "Well, I guess I'll see you later, Lee." I waved and put an emphasis on the word 'later'...hopefully he knew what I was talking about.

It really was getting late and Naruto would whine if I got home too late and he had to wait for me. Plus, I had to see if Friday was open. **'No, you're not...You're going to go find Neji-kun and rape him!' **My inner put up one last protest about going with Lee. I carefully ignored her. I turned and headed back towards the apartment.

The Apartment

"I'm back!" I called as I shut our apartment door behind me. I walked into the kitchen to see Naruto sitting with a bowl of ramen. Did he never stop eating? "How was dinner with Sasuke?" He asked sourly as I came in, and I remembered that I had sorta dumped him for the Uchiha. "Look, about that, I'm sorry, ok? But I wanted to see his reaction to the no-face. And besides, Naruto, eating with you is going to leave me bankrupt! Also, I can eat with my teammates."

He pouted a bit as I sat down across from him. "I met another team of genin today. And Sasuke suffered for it." He looked up, a grin slowly spreading across his face. "Tell me all about it, gruesome details and all." I retold meeting Ino and her teammates and the brief fight with Etsu, and Lee asking me out. His grin got larger. "So...are you going to go?" He asked. I sighed.

"I think so, but more so because I think I'd crush him if I said no. Besides, what's one little date?" He laughed. "With Lee, it may mean marriage and three kids." I scowled at him for making fun of Lee, but then his infectious laughter got to me too. Kyo-sensei came into the kitchen with a bemused expression on his face. "What's so funny?" He asked, and I shook my head. "Nothing you would find funny." He rolled his eyes but said no more.

"Oh! Kyo-sensei! Did Naruto tell you that Sasuke saw a no-face?" He was suddenly very serious. "Really? Please, explain." I told about how the no-face had attacked us and how he had seen and heard it. I may have said a little about how he was sorta freaked out by seeing them, and Kyo-sensei nodded his sympathy. "His reaction is natural. For someone who hasn't known about the existence of such creatures to suddenly have to deal with seeing them can be something of a traumatic experience." I rolled my eyes.

"It's not like he's _traumatized_, just freaked out." He shrugged and was silent. "Well, good job on keeping the others protected while the no-face was attacking – they're most dangerous when they attack and you can't see them." I yawned suddenly, stretching my sore arms out. "I'm gonna go to bed," I told Kyo-sensei, standing and heading towards the bedroom. "So early?" He asked, and I nodded. "Long day. Naruto, aren't you tired too?"

I gave him a look that only he could see that said 'sleep-now-because-if-you're-sleeping-during-the-lessons-then-I'm-gonna-kill-you' and then shut the door behind me. I could hear Naruto telling Kyo-sensei the same thing and then a moment later he was coming through the door behind me. "Just stay in my room tonight so I don't have to get you up later. And you can sleep – I'll wake you up before midnight so we can go. You need to be rested...because if you're tired and screw up and get us all killed, I'm gonna kill you!"


	10. Lessons Missions and A Helpful Inner

**kitsunegirl1 here yeah like I said it's the before school rush anyway... I just want to thank all the reviewers, especially soccercrazyfreak, who has reviewed for nearly all our chapters!! So read and review people!! NOW!! Thoughts/ideas pm or email us, and now on with the story. -kitsunegirl1 P.S Sorry not very much Nejisaku in this chapter. Double digits yay us!**

"Talking"

'thinking'

'**Inners/demons' **

"**Talking Summons/Inners outside body"**

Chapter 10: Lessons, Missions and Gasp

A Semi-Helpful lnner

_Poke_

_Poke_

"Damnit Naruto, stop.._._" I grumbled, batting away his hand. "Let me sleep."

_Poke_

_Poke_

"Goddamnit, stop!" Finally I managed to open my eyes and gazed grumpily up at said blonde. In his hand was a stick, looking ominously like the one that he had used to poke me awake back in, my home village. It's come back to haunt me... Naruto interrupted my thoughts. He looked rather smug and said proudly, "I stayed awake all night and you fell asleep. So ha. I win this time."

I merely scowled at him and pushed myself upright, yawning and rubbing the sleep from my eyes. "Now who is going to fall asleep during lessons and get us all killed, huh?" He taunted, pointing a finger accusingly at me. I batted it away and stood, pulling him up with me. "Get rid of that damn stick before I shove it up your ass. And I'd advise that you do it...I don't want another Neji or Sasuke hanging around." He gave me a playful scowl and tossed aside.

What the hell was up with him and that fucking stick?

Silently, I slid open the door to my room,and crept outside, dragging Naruto along besides me. We made our way through the apartment, and I nearly died when Naruto sneezed in front of Kyo-sensei's room. I silently made a promise to kill him once the lessons were over. Once we were out of the apartment, getting down to the training grounds was a piece of cake. I made out everyone that we had 'invited' to come with a bit of surprise.

Heads turned our way as Naruto and I made our way towards them. "Hi," I said lamely, finding no better greeting. No one answered. "Um, right. So, where do we start? With the no-faces, I guess. Although you three know about them already," I gestured towards Neji, Tenten and Lee, "The rest of you don't." Inhaling a deep breath I began explaining what a no-face is and how it is created, what we do to protect people from the ones that have lost their souls completely.

"Wait, what's the point of even dealing with these things besides sending them straight to hell?" Kiba asked, waving his hand in the air so fast that I thought it might go flying off, or I hoped it would at least. I sent him a cold glare and said, "We don't send them to hell we just help them move on, but we can only help them if they truly want to move on," There was an edge in my voice that was steely I hoped he caught it so he knew that I was about ready to kill him.

"Whatever, I still thinks it's stupid to risk your lives to help some stupid ghosts move on." his tone was bored, like he thought he was so much better at understanding, my teachings. Apparently he didn't get the tone in my voice, and apparently he had a death wish, because before anyone could act, I snapped and launched at him and delivered a punch right into his annoying, idiotic face.

In that punch I had put so much force in it that I felt my knuckles crack; it was pretty painful but judging by the look on his face he had gotten worse than my knuckles and I felt very satisfied, but this did nothing to stop my rage. Grabbing him by the front of his sweatshirt, I growled at him, "You think this is a joke?! Well let me tell you, I know a lot of people who have died to stop no-faces from devouring ignorant little bastards like you! So I'd shut your little mouth, you arrogant punk!"

I could feel my face flush with anger, and the only reason I wasn't beating him into a bloody pulp was because I was better than that... doing stuff like this is for people who couldn't control themselves... like Etsu and her gang. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be all noble and honorable and all that shit, I was just trying to be the person that people knew me for, because that was the person I had worked all my life to become, to create.

And yes I know that this sounds like a soap opera, but this is the only thing that keeps me from murdering people like Kiba... Neji and- **'YOU WILL NOT KILL NEJI-KUN!** **At least wait until we get tired of him and his amazing body-'** 'Umm... sorry but you're kind of ruining the whole moment of truth "look deep inside your soul" crap, so if you don't mind...' **'Whatever just DO NOT kill Neji until we've had our way with him!' ** Well once again my inner ruined the moment... sighing I dropped Kiba and walked away.

"Well it's like three, so I'm gonna go and crash..." I said faking a yawn, the others shrugged, and began to go in their separate direction, however Kiba was muttering curses while rubbing his cheek, and I could've sworn that Tenten had been sending me worried looks when she thought I wasn't looking.

Shaking my head I began walking away, when I heard Naruto talking, and of course he was apparently trying to engage Hinata in a conversation. Rolling my eyes at him, I studied the Hyuuga... she looked like she really would die of blushing to hard; she had really surprised me earlier by showing up.

I know I shouldn't 'judge a book by its cover' but I was human and most humans do judge before they know, and I had immediately pegged her for the naive and overly worried type that would most likely stay away from trouble... probably a teachers pet. But then I realized that I had read the signs wrong which was like a slap in the face, and I immediately felt bad for thinking like that she was just shy, not the overly obsessive worrying type, and that unlike a teachers pet she tried not to draw attention to herself.

Kami, I am stupid.** 'Oh yeah you admit it when you feel bad about judging someone you don't know but you wouldn't admit it when you realized that you are in love with Neji-kun! Shannarro!'** My inner ranted on angrily, once again I sighed shaking my head... I seemed to be doing this a lot more often than usual.

"Hey Naruto leave the poor girl alone I doubt she'll last long enough to go home... at this rate, she'll probably keel over from your stupid, idiotic stories!" I said trying to rescue the poor girl from him, which earned me an angry growl and glare for my best friend and a look from Hinata. I guess she probably like talking to Naruto. Grinning to myself I realized that at this rate those two love birds will be married as soon as the big eighteen comes around. I walked towards the two - who made a very cute couple by the way - and maneuvered my way between them.

"Hey Hinata... I was just wondering... Do you want to train together sometime or something...?" I asked as casually as I could; she looked at me eyes widening before looking down again, "Umm... I'll take that as a yes..." I began digging inside my pouch for a piece of paper to give her my address; I still needed to find my cell... Well I found the paper but unfortunately most ninja don't carry pens with them.

"Aw... crap I don't have a pen so-" "Here." Naruto said quickly interrupting me. In front of my face he waved a simple ballpoint pen. Taking it from him I gave him a look, and asked, "Why do you have a pen?" He replied with a simple shrug. Shaking my head, I said, "Yeah well let me use your shoulder while you're being useful," I put the paper on his shoulder so I would be able to write it well enough so that it'd be legible. When I was done I flashed Hinata a cheerful grin and handed her the paper.

"T-thanks," she said quietly, taking the paper from me. "Hey," I called, raising my voice so that my voice could be heard. "I haven't finished everything you need to learn. I was rudely interrupted," I shot a glare towards Kiba, "And therefore haven't finished teaching you. So, I think that we should meet next week at this time and this place. Sound good?"

There was silence before Kiba said, "There's no point in coming if we're just learning about these stupid ghosts that we have to 'send on'." I turned towards him and gave him a cold look. "Well if you have a problem, then don't come." He didn't say anything but turned away and vanished into the trees. "Alright, well it's really late – or early – and I'm tired so I'm going home. See you later..."

Grabbing Naruto I dragged him away from Hinata. He dug his feet stubbornly into the ground and I pulled harder. "If you're tired tomorrow and Kyo-sensei suspects something, you're really gonna get it." I hissed the threat into his ear and he reluctantly let up. "See you later," He called cheerfully and waved goodbye to Hinata before turning and following me back home.

I went to my room, crashed right away but got like two hours of sleep after the lessons because of my dreams - I mean nightmares, it was so not cool to have a half nude Neji come into my dreams... it sucked. **'Keep telling yourself that, love... yep just say that over and over again...you are so into him! Shannarro!' **'Just shut up... I swear one of these days-' **'You're gonna rape Neji-kun?! Yeesssssssss!! Shannarro!' ** 'I hate you...' I grumbled angrily in my mind.

It was like five forty five in the fucking morning and I could no longer sleep. Stretching out my limbs I poked my head out of my door, it was dead quiet meaning no one, even Kyo-sensei, was still sleeping. I let out a small groan... there was nothing to do at five... nearly six... in the morning. Maybe if I close my eyes and try really hard I'll be able to sleep, and dream of Neji... DEMISE! I meant Neji-kun - er I mean NEJI's demise... yeah that's all I meant.

**'Keep telling yourself that hon.' **I threw myself onto the bed and screamed into the pillow, I just wanted to think and be with out a sadistic evil voice, girl hormones, and little bitches who won't leave me alone! I waited a few more moments and finally raised my head to look at the clock in my room, before groaning again... only five minuets had passed, someone really hates me!

I go up again only to trip over my bag that I brought from the Haruno tribe. Some of the sealed scrolls had fallen out of the bag picking one up in my hand and I glared at it. "Oh what?" I said through gritted teeth, still glaring at it, "You want me to unpack you don't you?" I accused it, and vaguely, very vauguely, I heard my inner say that I really was insane. "Says the inner that wants to rape someone who has a stick wedged up their ass!" I accused my inner out loud, grabbing the scrolls from my pack and stuffing them in random places around the room.

I stuck one on top of the lamp and told it not to catch fire before sighing and plopping down on the floor. It was sorta ordinary and empty inside, and I realized that I had been avoiding unpacking at all because I was trying to keep up the idea that being in Konoha was a short-term thing.

What had I been thinking?

Sure, I wanted to go home, but being here was...fun I looked at the pitiful scrolls around the room and with a heavy sigh got up. I started unpacking my things one by one, finding special spots for each thing. I even managed to re-create a wall of memories – basically a wall covered in pictures.

Ami had insisted that I call it something besides 'wall of pictures' so it had ended up as 'wall of memories'. Personally I couldn't see where her logic was coming from... 'Wall of memories' sounded really cheesy and more than a little stupid. I heard the door open, and Kyo-sensei stuck his head inside. "Sakura, time to...oh, you're already up. Well," He said pausing to look around my room, "It seems that you were busy." He smiled and I realized that he had guessed what I had just realized a while ago.

The man really knew everything, didn't he?

"Um, yea. So... what're we doing today?" I wanted to do something instead of bumming and lazing around all day. He smiled slyly. "I can't tell you...it's a secret. But you're going to be doing stuff with Sasuke, Naruto and Kakashi." I groaned. "Do I have to? Sasuke is more like Sasu-gay, Kakashi reads porn all day, and Naruto, well, Naruto is Naruto." He said nothing, only shook his head and rolled his eyes.

--Later that day--

Missions... D rank missions, that was the big 'secret'. Dear Kami I think I understand why Sasuke is on suicide watch... hey maybe we can start an emo-suicidal-bitches club. I mean seriously we had to catch a fuckin' cat that was our latest mission! "Yeow!" the shrill cry of the cat we just 'rescued' and brought back to some lord's wife shook me from my thoughts. I did feel a pang of pity for the poor thing, though it was being squished in a death grip of a hug by his mistress.

There was another pained yowl and a gasp, "Oh dear! Fuzzykins, come back," the lady called out to the cat, which had darted across the room to where I was standing and lunged at me, I of course caught it in my arms, and the poor thing seemed to be giving me a look that said 'please-please-don't-let-her-get-me' and began to purr against my chest.

"Oh thank you for saving my poor fuzzykins again! Here's a little extra for you!" She said tearing the cat from my arms and shoving some extra money into my hand. Looking down I nearly died... she had said a little extra I thought it'd be like 5 bucks - which was half of what we got paid for most d rank missions - but no what she considered to be a little could paid for a meal with Naruto. She obviously had no idea of what the true value of money was, just lobbing it around like that.

"Uh, thanks," I said, surprised. After she left Sasuke turned to me expectantly. "Split that evenly," he demanded, gesturing towards the money clutched in my hand. "No. This money she gave directly to me so therefore it is mine and I have no reason to share." He lunged for it and I pulled my hand back expertly and swiftly tucked the money inside my shirt.

He stopped suddenly and turned a faint shade of pink, and looked at my chest for a moment to long for me to feel comfortable, before stepping back. "Fine," he said grumpily, "Keep it then." I grinned triumphantly. And for the next few days, this was routine.

Catching the stupid cat all the time, pulling weeds, what great fun! On the rare occasion there would be a medicine to be delivered and I would get to do it, learning a little each time. I could tell that Naruto was the one who despised the missions the most – one, they were easy, and two, they made him spend time with Sasuke. And after a while, he finally got fed up. We had just finished catching the cat (for the 8th time) and he finally spoke up.

"All right, jii-san, I'm done with this. These missions are way too easy! And they're demeaning, too! Be serious. Weeding gardens. Catching a stupid cat. I'm fed up with this!" With a huff he crossed his arms. The Hokage sighed. It still was weird to me that Naruto spoke to him so casually and was able to actually yell at him. "Your argument has a point. I suppose that I could see about a higher-ranked mission..." Naruto started cheering.

The Hokage scanned his papers. "It seems you're in luck. I've found this easy little C-ranked mission. Escorting a bridge builder named Tazuna. He's from the Wave Country, so that's where you'll be taking him." Naruto grumbled a bit more before I stepped in, "Thank you for your kindness, Hokage-sama," I said with a bow, then we heard the door swing open and turned to see and old man with sake who was commenting on Naruto's height.

"Ah well there's your client; you will leave in a few hours so be ready and pack your things," Hokage-sama said, and we nodded in his direction, "Oh wait, young lady, would your father happen to be Tenshi Sadahiro?" That caught my attention, whirling around I stared at him. "How did you know who my father was?" I asked suddenly breathless, and he smiled at me. "He passed through here a long time ago with Kyo-san."

I nodded slowly, my father... I could feel a tug at my heart at the thought. The Hokage looked at me before he said, "You have his eyes you know," A small smile made its way onto my face. "Yeah," I agreed. "Well off you go then you'll want to leave as soon as possible." We nodded again, and I felt so happy, I realized that leaving my village felt like leaving my parents, but I felt close to them again. Giving a happy sigh I skipped through the streets.

"Wow you seem happy," Sasuke said observing me, I spun around and stared at him with wide eyes, "Oh my gosh, it speaks!!" I yelled, alarmed... I know that I once implied that I would die from being killed by either Hyuuga or Uchiha, but now I believe that Sasuke's fan girls will be my undoing when I called him an 'it' all of his surrounding fan girls pounced.

I was forced to use any evasive tactics I knew to avoid the evil grip of those little hoes. However it was very_ very_ difficult because their numbers kept increasing, and when one girl managed to tackle me all the others pounced. "Hey get off me!! Now!" I growled trying to shove the girls off me, "You little bitch don't ever insult Sasuke-kun like that," One of them spat at me, I hissed and tried to break her nose when one of them yanked my hair from it's bun I let out another hiss of pain.

Dear Kami I am doomed to be attacked like twenty four fucking seven! Another girl was cussing me out like there was no tomorrow, that was it I was done I wouldn't stand for this, 'Get the fuck out here!' I screamed in my mind. **'Well, well it looks like proud little Sakura-chan needs little old me!' **'Shut up and get out!' here I hissed. Finally I could feel the strange bubbly feeling begin to build up; this was the signal that my inner and I were separating... for the moment anyway.

"**Get out of my way! shannarro!" **my inner screamed tossing the fan girls aside. "Yes! Beat that evil parasitic fan girls!" We looked at each other and shared the same grin, she and I were mirror images, except she had 'inner' on her forehead, and everything that I wore was in black on her. "We so," I began, **"Kick ass!" **my inner howled.

"Hellz yeah!" Naruto cheered and the three of us began walking together shoving some more fan girls away. "What the hell is going on?" Saskue yelled; we simultaneously spun and looked at him; he along with Kakashi-sensei and Tazuna looked well...shocked. "Isn't it obvious?" he and Kakashi-sensei and Tazuna shook their heads. **"We are one person,"** "That has been divided into two."


	11. Dirty minds and Missions

Don't own Naruto or Sweeny Todd

"talking"

**'Inner/demons'**

"**Inner/Summons talking"**

**A****uthor's Note: OMG! i am sooooo sorry that we couldn't update sooner! I really really tried to write here and there but it was hard with school and then Kitsunegirl2 hasn't been over to check this at all... but anyway I hope you like this we've made it to like 4000 some words and I Kitsunegirl1 managed to type a lot of it, with some help from kitsunegirl2 of course but here it is I hope you like it... oh and I'm sorry from any mistakes in the story Kitsunegirl2 hasn't been overt to look at my horrible grammar yet so bare with me! **

Chapter 11: Dirty minds and Missions

Sasuke looked at me then at my inner completely confused "But that's not possible! You can't divide yourself into two... it's just...I mean... you're just..." He covered his face with his hands and then groaned almost painfully. I grinned, dear kami if he thought that this was weird than he better hope that he doesn't meet Naruto's demonic self... or Ami... I think he'd die if he met Ami. Then realization dawned on my face. Oh shit I haven't called Ami yet... She's gonna murder me!

**"Oops... I hope you know you're the one who's gonna do the talking and don't even think of switching places with me, when she explodes, 'cause I'll just piss her of more if you do." **My inner saidshe gave me her 'I-would-hate-to-be-you,' look and I glared. I wonder who's influence would make me think of a plan to kill her, and make her body into, meat pie. **"Sakura you can't kill me," **My inner said before pausing a moment, **"Oh and you got that 'kill someone and make them into meat pie' is from Sweeny Todd you went to see it with Naruto when we stopped in that one village in the land of birds." **I sent her a glare, damn our shared mind... connection ...thing.

"What the hell are you doing?" We heard Sasuke yell he looked so confused, **"What?"** inner and I yelled "Uhh... maybe you two should calm, down" Naruto said slowly, to stop us from pouncing on Sasuke "What if," **"WE don't want,"** "To fucking" **"Calm down!" **Inner and I growled at him. He held his hands up in his own defense, stepping back.

"What is going on??" Kakashi-sensei asked again, his eyes, looking from me to her. **'We already fucking explained it to this stupid scarecrow bastard!' **My inner ranted inside my mind for once. "I think it's time for you to come back, to our mindscape..." I muttered under my breath**, "There's no fucking way I'm going back there, it's been so long, since I've gotten out!" ** She whined, angrily "You were just out the other day...," I said remembering the embarrassment she had cost me the other day, along with that Naruto did, right in front of Neji too! ER... I meant Lee he probably thinks I'm a freak! No way in hell would I be worried about Neji's thoughts on me... heh heh he.

**"Ha! You were thinking about **_**him**_** right now!" **I flushed a deep shade of red and shook my head, denying her accusation, **"Don't lie to me Sakura, I know what you're thinking just like you know what I'm thinking,"** When she said this I became very afraid, because a devilish grin accompanied her statement, and like I had feared I was bombarded with mental imagery that was more than I could handle.

She sent me images that contained Neji half naked, sitting on _my_ bed smirking at me, or him being soaked with water, so badly that I could see water running down the curve of his neck, **'damn water never looked so fucking hot!' **Outside of my mind my inner was practically drooling, with the stupidest grin on her face, but I could tell she was distracted, and if I wanted to make a move I had to do it now. With a howl, I jumped her **"No what're you doing?? Stop-" **her angered shout was cut short, when her body fused with mine. Inside my mind, she ranted about how I needed to "get it on" with Neji otherwise, she would jump out of my mind at night and rape Neji herself. I shook my head "He probably doesn't even feel that way about me" I whispered, to myself and to her, and for some reasons my heart seemed to clench in pain at the thought.

**--Neji P.O.V.-- **

**Earlier that ****Morning**

_I was in my room, there was a dim light shining through my window's thin curtains, I supposed, that it must be, night... "Hey what took you so long, Hyuuga?" I turned to the taunting voice, a voice that haunted me in my dreams. Haruno, my eyes instinctively narrowed. "Why are you here Haruno?" I growled at her, "Now, now Neji-kun, don't be so mean," She said the way she drawled out my name was strange, especially since it was my given name...wait did she say Neji-KUN?? I glared at her; she was sitting on my bed legs crossed, hands in her lap._

_ "Why are you here?" I asked through gritted teeth, "Well you certainly are impatient today... but to answer your question, I'm here...for you," She whispered the last part dare I say... seductively? She uncrossed her legs, got off my bed and walked towards, me. I stood there studying her, "You know," she began her hands brushing my face, "You never proved to me that you're fearless." Then she stood on her tiptoes, and brushed her lips against mine. I opened my mouth but instead of words, my body developed a mind of its own and I began kissing her, as hard as I could bruising her lips in the process. One of my arms wrapped itself around her waist, while the other moved up and my fingers intertwined themselves in her hair, I heard her moan against, my lips. And I-_

--

"Neji, are you up yet?" Hiashi's voice rang through my head shaking me from my dream, and my encounter with the pink haired kunoichi. I sat up with a groan and opened my eyes to see Hiashi peering into my room with a worried look on is face. Well as worried as a Hyuuga could look that is. "I'm fine," I grumbled giving him a cold stare. My uncle however would not move. "Is there something you need?" I asked through gritted teeth, he gave a sigh "...No," he said, slowly closing my door and walking away.

As soon as I heard his foot steps disappear I pushed myself out of bed, frowning at the coolness in the air, grabbed some clean clothes and made my way to the Hyuuga bathhouses. The hot water was soothing for my tense muscles, and as I relaxed in the bath I allowed my mind to wander... until images of Sakura bombarded me. Groaning I shook my head and blinked several times but I couldn't stop the happenings of my dream from re-playing in my head. Suppressing another groan I ran my hands through my hair "She probably doesn't even feel that way about me." I muttered, and for some reason, I felt my heart twinge at the thought.

**--Sakura P.O.V.-- **

**Present... **

I grabbed some sealed scrolls and through them into my bag, Naruto and I had already gotten home and told Kyo-sensei about our mission as team seven and with Tazuna the bridge builder. And now here I am readying myself for our departure. I think Tazuna Sasuke and Kakashi sensei are a bit freaked out due to what happened with my inner, and they may still be processing what I told them earlier.

_--Flashback--_

"_Sorry about that," I said sending them (Kakshi, Sasuke, and Tazuna) an apologetic look. "My inner, can get a little wild," I explained, to them "you're what??" Tazuan asked looking very confused, and very, very concerned. "My inner... you know inner persona?" "So you have an inner persona..." Sasuke said looking tired from this whole ordeal and pointing at me with one hand. "Yes Sauke... Stop pointing at me, it's rude." I said, rolling my eyes; he jerked back slightly as though he was in a trance, and I could hear Naruto snicker slightly at his confusion. Tazuna, and Kakashi opened their mouths about to question me, when an oh, so familiar battle cry rang through the air and a creepy looking Etsu appeared._

_--End Flashback-- _

And I suppose the rest is imaginable. "Neko-chan you ready yet?" "Yeah I'm coming!" I yelled down to Naruto, before grabbing my pack swinging it over my shoulder and heading out my door and down the hall to the apartment door. "Alright let's do this!" Naruto yelled pumping his fist in the air with enthusiasm. "Yeah... ok then." I said giving him a –slightly- worried look before we both made our way out of the apartment. When we got to the streets I began humming softly out of boredom when Naruto asked "hey what were you and inner talking about before?"

I stopped stiffening slightly **'oh yes what were we talking about Sakura-chan?'** my inner snickered flashing an image of Neji through my mind again. I covered my face and groaned muttering numerous curses under my breath. "Hm? What's wrong?" Naruto asked tugging on one of my wrists. "Um... well we were talking about... er... what Ami is gonna to do me when I finally call her..." I said saying the first thing that came to mind. A wave of relief washed over me with the thought that I at least made some sense. "oh... oh shit! She's gonna fucking murder us!" he cursed his reaction just like mine. "Well duh," I said rolling my eyes "but... hey Neko-chan what else were you talking about?" "What're talking about? I just told you." "Neko I maybe slow sometimes but even Sasu-gay could tell that's not everything..." his voice trailed off and I began walking again more quickly trying to keep put distance between us so he wouldn't be able to see my blush.

Naruto however, caught up quickly "hey come on then Neko... were you thinking about your little Neji-kun?" he asked saying Neji's name sickeningly sweet. "Don't say Neji-kun's name like that," I hissed before I could stop my self. Then realizing my mistake I covered my mouth. Grinning Naruto began his little victory dance. "Ha I knew you liked him!"

"Liked who?" whipping around I saw Kyo-sensei I choked back a gasp as Kyo-sensei came up from behind us. "Sakura likes N-" I kicked him in the shin before blurting out the first name that came to mind "LEE!" I yelled, not stopping to think that, it was not a good idea to yell out the green clad ninja's name like that. Kyo-sensei raised a brow skeptically and opened his mouth, but before he could say anything "yes my youth cherry blossom of the spring time?" was said and my spandex wearing admirer was standing right next to me looking as my with goo-goo eyes.

"Um... what are you doing here??" I asked more than freaked out... and you would be too if a green spandex wearing, and a bowl shaped hair cut, and really _really_ bushy eyebrows boy came up to you when you called his name ran up to you. "You called me and so I came, and I always will my most youthful cherry blossom for you are my life, and I will always protect you with my life- no wait not just with my life, with my very soul!" he proclaimed striking a dramatic pose while lager tears made their way down his face. Kyo-sensei shot Lee a slightly- scratch that a very worried look. And then my favorite broody uchiha came up! Yep Itachi showed up here in the middle of the day... okay so it was Sasuke but hey a girl can dream can't she? **'Not unless it's about Neji-kun! Shanarro!'** my inner yelled inside my mind, oh Kami not you again I groaned mentally.

But before she could reply Sasuke dropped another ten places in my cool-people-I-know (not that he was very high up in the first place). "God Lee just give up she's not interested." Sasuke said shaking his head "That's not true, Uchiha-san, she said that she would give me the honor of taking her on a most youthful date!" Lee said fire in his eyes. "yes but she went with me without a second thought,-" This is where I decided to cut that arrogant ass off. "Now listen you stupid little bastard, the only reason I went with you is 'cause I wanted to mend the tension between us... it was a friend date not a real one," I growled through gritted teeth, "so stop being such a prick, grow some balls and leave Lee alone!" "I think you've said quite enough," Kyo-sensei said sternly grabbing hold of my arm.

"How dare you, you little pink haired slut!" I turned to see a mob of Sasuke fangirls. How the hell did they always find him!? "Get away from Sasuke-kun, you little bitch!" "Well why would she need Sasuke when she has me?" Ryouichi's voice sounded from behind me. I turned halfway to glance at him – he was standing just behind me, a hand resting on my shoulder. The fangirls seemed at a loss until one yelled, "She's going on a mission with Sasuke-kun!" And the yelling, screaming, mad squealing and swearing started all over again. I opened my mouth to yell something back...when the most unlikely of people stepped in to defend me. "Now girls I think that you are quite out of line, if you haven't noticed Sakura here is not interested in the young Uchiha. So please, there is no reason to fret over her being on a team with Uchiha-san," I was surprised to hear Kyo-sensei admonishing the fangirls, but even more surprised to see them slowly disperse with nothing more than glares towards me.

"Um, thanks..." I mumbled, shooting a thankful glance towards him. He only nodded, glancing towards Sasuke and Lee. "You should get going." His voice was stern, admonishing me for my words to Sasuke and Lee. "Yea...I guess. Naruto, Sasuke, let's go." The three of us walked towards the village gates meeting up with Tazuna-san and Kakashi, and as soon as we caught up with them we made our way our of the village gates and into the thick surrounding forests.

--later--

We had to have been walking for at lest three and a half hours, but me feet barely ached and I felt as though I could walk late into the night, because we had to walk at a gruelingly slow pace to make sure Tazuna-san could keep up with us. "I ...don't think I... can go... on" Tazuna said between panting breathes he was leaning against a tree, and I could distinctly see the beads of sweat rolling down his face. "Oh come on-" "Naruto stop Tazuna-san is older than us remember? And he's not a ninja; I think he's down marvelous to keep going this long." I said half scolding Naruto and stopping his protests.

This however did not stop the irritated glares both my teammates sent the poor old man. Sighing I dug out a water bottle and handed it to Tazuna, before calling out to my perverted sensei who was to busy being buried in his dirty books to notice the rest off us had stopped. "Yo sensei how 'bout we stop for the night we're running a little low on energy here!" "Hmm? Oh sure thing Sakura," Kakashi replied turning around and walking towards us. After that we set up camp putting up three tents, making a fire, and finding some food. Of course once we ate we were ordered to sleep so we could rise early in the morning and begin traveling again.

I made my way with the boys to the tent, I knew that Tazuna got his own because he had brought it, and I suspected that Kakashi would hog one when; Kakashi stopped me by putting his hand on my shoulder. "Sakura you get that tent over there this one's for us." I gave a confused look "why?" "Well... because you're female and it'd be improper for a young lady such as yourself, to be shoved in a tent with us boys." "Oh" I replied dumbly before walking towards the other tent; once inside I found my pack and realized that Kakashi-sensei must have moved it for me. I quickly set up my sleeping bag and changed for bed. Snuggling deep into my sleeping bag I gave a happy sigh before falling into refreshing sleep.

_--Dream land--_

_I was laying down some where my eyes closed peacefully when I felt something shift around. I should have reacted with an attack but I couldn't my body felt frozen in its place... too relaxed to move. "I know you're awake Sakura-chan" I know that voice! I just couldn't name the owner... then I felt the owner of the voice press his lips to my cheek. I felt his fingers trace lines down my arm. Damn it why couldn't I recognize his voice. '__**Oh come on Sakura you know who this hot piece of ass is!' **__Oh god not this again... I thought before my eyes fluttered open. "Well, well sleeping beauty's finally awake," Neji said his piercing white eyes staring into mine. The words rolling off his tongue nearly made my tremble, and my breath began to quicken as he lips neared mine- _

"Oi neko-chan you up yet?" I stirred if the warmth of my bag before opening my eyes. Rubbing my eyes I said "No I'm still asleep dreaming up ways to kill you," sarcasm dripped from each word I said. Then giving my shoulder muscles a quick flex I rolled onto my belly. And slowly the world around me began to disappear; faintly I could hear Naruto saying something. Oh well I'm nearly in Lala land, I thought drifting further into sleep. Then suddenly out of no where I heard I yell... it was Naruto scrambling out of bed I stumble through the opening of my tent. There were four enemy ninja in our campsite.

I stopped dead in my tracks all of the attackers had their backs to me, and silently I began cursing myself for nearly sleeping through their attack. I felt my heart begin to quicken almost hearing it pound in my ears. Damn it this was not the time to freak out, I told myself before hardening my eyes, i quickly scanned the area around me knowing that my time is limited. Then I quickly grabbed hold of a discarded Kunia and charged. One of the ninja chuckled deeply "well looks like your luck has just run out," he said gruffly. One of his men was fighting Kakashi-sensei while the other two were attacking Naruto and Sasuke who were trying to defend Tazuna-san. "I don't think so!" My yelled distracted them and allowed Sasuke and Naruto to get Tazuna farther away while throwing kunia and shuriken at our enemies. "Damn it there's another one?!" "Don't worry I'll take care of the bitch." One of them said jerking around to face me. "heh he lets go girlie," He said to me his rough voice, making it almost threat like.

I hissed at him before jumping up I threw my lone kunia at him before preparing to land a powerful kick. He gave an amused chuckle at my actions as though I was a child not knowing exactly what I was doing. Well I guess I'll just have to show him that I'm no child. He caught the kunia and dodged my kick with great ease causing me to land awkwardly on the ground. I sneered at him, he is good but I am better... at least I hope I am. "Earth animation jutsu!" I yelled, once again, the surrounding plant life grew, and wrapped around my enemy trapping him. I heard him curse me but I ignored him turning my attention to my comrades; Naruto and Sasuke seemed to be doing well enough, Kakashi on the other hand seemed to be struggling against his two opponents.

So as quickly as I could manage I ran over to him as I neared one of the enemy ninja, and I gathered a bit of chakra and threw myself at him. I prayed that I would still be able to tackle him even with my small stature. The man grunted as I made an impact, although I wasn't able to tackle him I managed to catch him by surprise and allow Kakashi to deliver a kick. "Sakura get out of the way!" Kakashi yelled at me, I gave him a startled look before jumping out of the way. Well trying to at least, the large man who I had tackled grabbed onto my arm roughly jerking me towards him.

Snarling at him, I tried to struggle free but to no use; he just kept pulling me closer to him. "Heh I suppose this is your little, student, well isn't this is a surprise Kakashi no Sharingan finally passes a team. I never thought the day would come!" Then man yelled in a mocking tone, growling at him I yelled back, "Well I never thought the day would come when I'd get to meet Momochi Zabuza, the eyebrow-less wonder!" I was mocking him and he did not like it at all, "watch it girl, I would absolutely hate for someone as pretty as you to die for some wrong words." I snarled at him again "let her go Zabuza she's not worth your time," Kakashi said before I had the chance to insult him again. "I don't think so Kakashi," he said he jerked me towards him again, before bringing his gigantic sword closer to me so that it was just barely brushing my neck.

"You see Kakashi the way i see it is that you hand over the old man and I don't kill the girl, it's as simple as that... but if you don't give up the old man then I'm afraid I'll have to break her delicate little neck." I scowled at him delicate my ass... Kakashi however was still trying to get him to let me go. "Zabuza stop she's just a child! There's no need to spill her blood," "ha! A child you say? When I was her age I already had bathed my hands in my enemies blood!" His statement made me stop, and my stomach began turning as I remembered a discussion my class had gotten into.

"That's right..." I said softly "the village hidden in the mist used to be called 'the village of the bloody mist'..." my legs began to tremble and my body felt weak. "Heh well I see that the past history of my former village is still taught to you..." His voice sounded entirely evil, "It's disgusting... to have students kill each other just to become ninja," I said the disgust in my voice clear to him. "heh but it was oh so fun," He replied, "and it sorted out all the weaklings, unlike what you leaf-nin from Kohona ... you're all the same all so weak and all so stupid." I felt my blood boil... how could anyone enjoy killing so much? "There's one think you should know though... I'm not from Kohona!" I yelled preparing to attack.


	12. Team Gai to the RESCUE!

Chapter 12: Team Gai to the Rescue!

"Iron Defense!" I yelled, rapidly making hands seals until a shield was produced. Using my chakra shield I moved Zabuza's sword away from my neck. His grip on me lessened in surprise and I managed to break his hold, and jump away. Glowering at him I made more hand seal before putting my hands up as though I was holding my imaginary bow and arrow. "Tenshi style: Piercing arrow!" Releasing my now visible chakra glowing arrows, I watched them find their target and felt very please as I saw Zabuza actually have to put an effort forward to dodge my arrow.

"Sakura get out of here now, you aren't experienced or strong enough to fight these enemies!" I heard Kakashi yell; I ignored him keeping my eyes on Zabuza. My hands flew forming a rapid number of hand seals. "Earth Style: Blooming Razors!" I yelled again, and this time beautiful cherry blossoms began to form. I could see Zabuza beginning to laugh at my jutsu before the cherry blossoms hardened and flew at him. They sliced his skin; each of the blossoms' petals was sharpened like shuriken.

And I couldn't help but smirk.

"Stupid brat!" Zabuza growled at me. He came running towards me, my jutsu having worn off. I began hand signs for another jutsu when someone's fist connected with my stomach. I choked slightly as I felt the air being knocked out of me, and I wobbled weakly until I fell to my knees clutching my stomach. "I'll take care of the little winch, Zabuza, you just take out the Jounin." From my spot on the ground, I could see someone approaching me. Adrenaline was once again rushing through my veins, and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. I could hear the nam's feet hit the ground as he began to charge towards me. I forced myself to stand on my wobbly legs and face him. "Heh...don't you know when you are outmatched, girlie?"

"Don't you know when you are too old to sound cool?" I retorted, making more hand seals as he ran closer. "Earth Style: Living Blade!" I screamed; my right arm suddenly got heavier, and my skin was becoming hard. I swung my arm around, and it made a long deep cut on my opponent's stomach. "What the...?!" he called out in surprise, and then taking a quick look a t my arm he said, "Heh, I see now, your jutsu turned your arm into a stone blade... Clever girl, perhaps you are not so stupid after all." I growled at him for that comment; I prided myself on being smarter than the rest, so I was definitely not going to stand for that.

The two of us circled each other before jumping at each other; we were now locked in hand-to-hand combat. Loud grunts escaped us and we attacked each other again and again; punches met punches and kicks met kicks. He drew up his leg and swung it at my, but it only grazed me as I dodged it. 'Wait!' I though, an Idea rushing through my head. "Chakra scalpel jutsu!" I yelled - my stone blade jutsu had already long since faded - so taking my right arm I gathered my chakra for the jutsu and hit the enemies calf with the side of my hand. It effectively sliced through his muscle.

He let out a sharp yelp of pain while clutching his leg. Jumping away from him I prepared to finish him off when another yell caught my attention. I spun around locating Naruto and Sasuke... apparently their opponent was much stronger than mine, because while I had been busy fighting Zabuza and his lackey, they had still been fighting the same guy. I threw one last look at my injured opponent, and ran towards Naruto. Their opponent was huge – I could see why they had been having issues. I glanced towards Naruto and he caught my eye and nodded; together we yelled, "Twin Dark Matter Jutsu!"

Our chakra pooled together in the air and slowly faded to black before flying towards our opponent. He was soon covered in the black goop, which was harmless...accept for when it combusted and ignited. "Sasuke! You can use fire-style jutsu, can't you?! Now would be a good time to show us!" I yelled at him; he looked really confused for a moment before it finally clicked. I saw him flash hand signs and then heard him yell, "Fireball Jutsu!" A large ball of flame exploded from him, whit hit our opponent, and he burst into flame with a scream. The attack was a little brutal....but you could not deny the fact that it effectively killed your opponent and left no mess to clean up.

I looked on at the giant flaming mass wearily, but at least now I knew he was dead. However I still felt a strange feeling of regret tug at my heart. Even though he was an enemy, I regretted killing him. Well, not exactly, since he was our enemy, but the fact that I had to help kill someone always bothered me. I wasn't the type of person to be able to kill people and get on with my life. "Sakura, let's go get Kakashi," I felt someone's hand firmly land on my shoulder and I tensed slightly. I turned my head to see Sasuke, who's hand was resting on my shoulder.

I forced a weak smile on my face before I heard an odd sound that was a cross between a hiss and a snarl. I stopped and looked to my right, seeing Naruto's dark face; his upper lip was curled, and he was baring his teeth. A cheeky grin easily replaced my forced smile. "Awww, is widdle foxy boy jealous? I tink he is!" I said teasingly to Naruto. He sent a death glare towards Sasuke and threw his arms around me, breaking Sasuke's contact with me. I smothered my oncoming giggles in Naruto's shoulder. "Excuse me but I think your sensei is in trouble." Tazuna's low, scratchy voice sounded, shaking me from my previous thoughts.

"Kuso," I breathed quietly, gently breaking Naruto's hug I turned to the boys. "Ok, here's the plan. Sasuke, you and I are going to get Tazuna-san back on the road; hopefully we'll be able to get him safe. Naruto I'm counting on you to go help Kakashi, and be careful...if you have to retreat then do it!" Naruto nodded in conformation. Sasuke however did not look so pleased. "Why the hell does dope get to go help Kakashi?" "Because I-" I began, but was cut off by Naruto takin off to do as I had told him. "Oh no you don't!" Sasuke yelled while going after him.

"Wait! Sasuke, get your scrawny ass back here – THIS IS NOT THE PLAN!" I screeched, but that duck-butt haired bastard left anyways, leaving me alone with Tazuna-san. Great. Just great. It wasn't like Tazuna-san wand I didn't get along, it was just that I didn't think I could push my already tired body to fight again if we were attacked. I'm pretty sure that Sasuke was the same way, but we would have been able to hold someone off for a little while, and Naruto hopefully would be able to help Kakashi and catch up to us. But no, they didn't listen to me, the only one that actually thinks! No, I'm just a FREAKING GIRL!

"Uh...Sakura...?" Tazuna-san's voice drawled out slowly and unsurely. Spinning around I said, "Alright. Well we're going to have to leave without those two bakas – so let's move!" I placed my hands together in a familiar sign – one for summoning, and I called out, "Summoning jutsu!" and hoping to Kami that I had enough chakra to summon someone good. With a poof, Yasue appeared in front of me and I sighed with relief. "Yasue, take Tazuna-san back to the road and protect him with your life." I stared straight at the young lioness, and she nodded solemnly, understanding the seriousness of my orders.

"She won't eat you unless you really annoy her," I told Tazuna mildly, "But she won't let you die either." He blinked at me as if he was unsure whether I was joking or not, and then shrugged and followed after Yasue as she lead him away. As soon as they had vanished from my line of sight I turned and bolted towards where Kakashi and the two bakas were. I landed towards the edge of the clearing where the fighting was; now it was only Kakashi and Zabuza, while all the rest of his lackeys had ran off. Naruto stood behind Kakashi, obviously eager to help but appearing very frustrated as our sensei firmly told him 'no'.

I watched silently as Kakashi moved to finish off Zabuza, but suddenly the Mist ninja let out a choked noise and toppled to the ground. Before he even hit the ground, another smaller figure darted in and caught him. I could see that he was only about Sasuke's height and was wearing a hunter-nin's mask. He threw Zabuza over his shoulder and bowed slightly to Kakashi. "I apologize for arriving so late. I am a hunter ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mists. I thank you for taking care of Zabuza for me." And then he darted away in a blur. I saw Naruto blink stupidly at the spot where he had left from, and then suddenly, Kakashi went down.

Oh, shit.

I rushed towards him, yelling, "Naruto, Sasuke, get your asses over here!" I landed neatly next to Kakashi, I couldn't tell if he was conscious or not since both of his eyes (his hiate had been straightened so I could see his other closed eye) were closed. Gently shaking his shoulder I called out, "Kakashi can you hear me?!" I forgot to add the sensei due to the fact that I never really respected him as my sensei but even so I grew anxious when he didn't respond. My heart was pounding so hard that I could practically hear it, what happened? He was just fine a second ago, so why had he collapsed?

My hands flew to his neck, looking for a pulse, and my voice became louder as I called to him. Naruto and Sasuke, hearing the anxiety and worry in my voice, joined in. "...Stop..." I heard him choke out in a gasp; both his eyes slowly opened and realized that the e ye he always had covered was the Sharingan! My eyes widened as I stared at it until my inner mentally slapped me to get to helping Kakashi. "Is he dead, Sakura?!" Naruto yelled, panic seeping into his voice.

"Of course not Naruto-baka!" I yelled back at him, my eyes still focused on Kakashi. "Er...sense, you need to turn off the Sharingan, I think you're suffering from a mix of blood loss and chakra overuse." Kakashi's eyes lazily looked over my face. "...Can't..." He forced out in a weak voice. "What do you mean?" I asked. "...Cover it." he grunted, and I did so before saying, "Kakashi, I don't have enough chakra to heal you right now, okay?" So right now all I can do is put on some medical cream and bandage up your wounds." He just gave another grunt, and then turning I called Naruto and Sasuke over to help me carry him back to our tent.

I knew none of us would be able to travel very far for tonight so I decided it was best for us to just stay here. Then I told Naruto to fetch Yasue; Sasuke argued with me on sending Naruto but shut up when I told him that Yasue would probably eat him. And now here we were, at our camp site, alone with Sasuke; Kakashi was resting in his tent, so we were alone. However I felt really uncomfortable – I kept getting that 'someone-is-watching-you' feeling, and that someone just happened to be Sasuke. "What?" I asked, growing irritated by his constant glances.

He stared at me for a few moments before replying. "You need to rest." It wasn't a suggestion, but a command. How dare he order me around like me was my superior! I snarled, glaring at Sasuke. "Careful, Uchiha, you're on no-mans land – you have no right to order me around," I said with a harsh edge to my voice. He got up silently and left. "Serves him right," I muttered to myself, and then I heard someone move behind me. I tried to turn around, but it was too late – I felt a burst of pain on my neck, and then everything went black.

***

I could feel consciousness coming back to me. A groan escaped my lips; it took me forever to sit up – my body was not responding well. I opened my eyes and looked around. I wasn't chained up or being held captive... but I was inside my bed roll and in a tent. I climbed out of my bedroll and poked my head out of the tent and felt a wave of pure murder come over me. I ran out of the tent and brought my foot up and kicked Sasuke hard in the face; I could feel his nose crunch and break.

"Stupid fucking prick!" I howled, moving to kick him again, but Naruto grabbed me from behind, and still attempting to stop laughing, held me back. "As much as I want to see you kick Sasuke's ass, I don't want a lecture about teamwork and why you should not attack your teammates." Naruto said between chuckles. I gave a huff and sat down by the campfire. "Hey Neko, your hair is really messy," Naruto commented mildly. I stared at him for a few long moments and then burst into hysterical laughter. It seemed like a lifetime before I managed to stop.

"Wow," I heard Naruto mutter, shaking his head. I looked over at him and said, "Well Naruto, I don't exactly care what my hair looks like in life-or-death situations." But then I sighed and reached up to feel how bad it was – I could feel the knots and snarls, and I supposed that there was a fair mixture of blood and dirt in there was well. Then Sasuke came and sat down by the fire, keeping his distance from me. He was pinching the bridge of his nose, and blood was still gushing out. He gave me a murderous glare and muttered, "You know, it was really stupid of you to kick me. Now we've got two injured members on the team." I grinned. "More like one and a half, since you're only half a man."

Suddenly out of nowhere a green blur leaped out of the bushes and landed in front of us. I was already on my feet, a kunai in hand before I realized who it was. "YOSH! Sasuke is no half-a-man, for he is filled with the power of youth! As is my ever-so-youthful student, Lee!" I could practically hear my jaw hit the ground. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" I shrieked, eyes widening as Lee leaped out of the bushes and began to rant about youth as well. _'Oh shit, shit, shit! If Lee and Gai are here, then that means...' _**'...That Neji-kun will be here too! SHANARRO!' **My inner began to shriek with glee, adding a headache to my ever-growing list of problems.

And sure enough, Tenten and Neji came walking out from behind the bushes as well, looks of discomfort plastered across their faces. "Yosh, Sakura-san! My ever youthful rival Kakashi sent out a plea for help and the Hokage-sama decided to send me and my youthful team to help!"

I was just about ready to find a kunai and impale myself on it.

Neji and Tenten traded glances and then came over towards Naruto, Sasuke and me; Sasuke earned a curious glance from Neji (and got a glare in return) but didn't ask any questions. Tenten's eye twitched spasticaly. "He's been going on and on about how he knew that one day his 'youthful rival Kakashi' was going to need his help – I can't tell if he's honored that he gets to help, or if he thinks that he's won some great battle against Kakashi. But whatever it is, he won't shut up." I gave her a curious look. "Don't you have to deal with his whole 'youthful' thing every day?" Neji nodded, and then added, "But it's worse when you're cooped up in a tent with him. I'd rather take years of solitary confinement than a day of that."

I stared at him. "Oh my god! It spoke – no, it made conversation! It even attempted a _joke!_ Naruto, please tell me that I'm not imagining things!" Neji gave me one of his famous Hyuuga glares, and I merely stuck out a tongue in reply. Then I turned towards Sasuke. "Hey, Sasuke? I have a question for you – it may not sound serious, but it really is. Okay?" Suspicious, he nodded slowly. I leaned in towards him and whispered,

"Do you have any tampons?"

His face went beet red and he looked angry. "What the fuck? Why do you think that I carry tampons?" I smiled sweetly. "Because you're such a girl!" His face went even redder at the laughter from the others. With obivious malevolent intent, he reached out and grabbed my arm, which earned him a wild shriek from me. "STOP! Don't touch me there! This is my private square! R-A-P-E, get your hands away from me! RAPE! RAPE!" Wild and screaming I took off running around the campsite, screaming 'RAPE!' every few seconds.

Neji looked towards Naruto. "Are you sure that she isn't injured? Has she suffered any serious head wounds? I think you better check." I stopped dead in front of him. "Oh my god! It spoke...again! Naruto, I think we're on a roll here!" Naruto groaned. "Guys, stop! I have a headache and do you know how hard it is to stop Yasue from eating people she doesn't know? Seriously!" My hand flew to my mouth and I let out a hysterical giggle. "Oopsie! I forgot to release Yasue! Hey, Yasue, come here!" The lion obediently padded up to me, and I told her, "You can go now! Bye-bye!" I waved childishly as she disappeared in a poof of smoke.

I felt someone's arms grip around my waist, and I was about to start the rape song again when Naruto spoke in my ear. "Sakura, you better shut up and calm down before I slit your throat. Because I have a headache, and your constant screaming is only making it worse. So let's be quiet and sit nicely now, hm?" I let out another smaller hysterical giggle. "Okay, Foxy-kun." The small, still-rational part of my mind noticed that his eyes were red, but then they were blue again before I could blink. This worried the rational part of me, which was quickly beginning to take over again. Was he having problems with his seal? This could be bad...

My train of thought disappeared when my legs suddenly gave out and I tumbled in a heap onto Naruto, causing us both to collapse to the ground. I ended up on his chest. He groaned, and quickly I rolled over and off so that I was by his side. His eyes were closed, but his brows were furrowed as though he was thinking hard about something. "Eh...Naruto? You alright there?" He grunted a reply. I stared a few more moments before brushing hair out of his face. Then leaning over I kissed his cheek. "Did you know that you're my bestest buddie in the whole world, and that I would be very not-good if you weren't there? So stay with me, okay?" He nodded once and then sighed, his eyes sliding open. They were normal and blue, which was what I had been expecting.

I sighed too, and suddenly my tired-high was gone, and all I wanted to do was sleep. I could hear Gai still ranting to Kakashi by the tents, and I decided that the ground suddenly felt very comfortable. I closed my eyes, and everything went black.

**Hello! And Gomen, I AM SO FRIGGIN SORRY THAT WE HAVEN'T UPDATED *sobs* And now here are our excuses - Testing ran through like Two weeks in November, Are teachers are child hating sadist, we can only really type and work ideas out on weekends, and we're like thirteen we have plans, and do stuff on the weekend! Anyway Kitsunegirls2 and I sincerly apologize to you readers!**

**P.S There will by more neji goodness sooon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :3 **

**P.s.s oh and the "rape" song is a gift from my brother and his highschool friends to you!**


	13. Dreams, Feelings, and Haku

**Kitsunegirl1: Goddamn it! WE don't own Naruto, but don't worry we willl..... Mwhahahahahahahah!**

**Anyway here's a new chappie, sorry we're late blah blah blah.... Just read and review and all that good shit.....^.^**

Chapter 13: Dreams, Feelings, and Haku

_***Dream land***_

"_Neji.... Neji!" I heard someone calling me. The voice didn't sound worried, but rather playful and mischievous. I opened my eyes and immediately was blinded by the bright sunlight. Raising one arm to shade my eyes, I looked around, trying to find the owner of the voice. "NEJI!" I turned and dropped my arm in shock. Sakura came bounding towards me. She was dressed in a simple crimson dress, but she looked magnificent. "S-sakura?" Her name slipped through my lips before I could stop myself. "Who else?" She laughed, bounding into my arms. Before I knew what was happening, her arms were around me and mine around her body. She stared up at me with those beautiful green eyes of hers. I felt myself leaning down, and our lips met..._

..."NEJI!"I jerked upright, my eyes flying open. Pale daylight filtered in through the half-open flap of the tent. Tenten's annoyed face poked in through the gap. "Sheesh, Neji! What are you, deaf? I've been calling you for the past five minutes!" I blinked. "Hn." She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Get up already. We're leaving soon." With another sigh she disappeared outside. I groaned and cradled my head in my hands.

Another stupid dream! No, another nightmare. Although I couldn't say that I didn't like it...I groaned again and shook my head to disperse my thoughts. I wouldn't mind hiding in my tent all day, because I knew that as soon as I left my tent, my nightmare would be standing outside. I got up, dressed and began to assemble my things before stepping outside. The sky was beginning to lighten, and it was still quite cold. "Yosh! Finally my youthful rival is awake!" Lee called, bounding up to me while grinning his stupid grin.

"Will you shut up, you stupid idiot!" The Uchiha snarled, coming up behind Lee. "Watch it Uchiha, that's my teammate that you're talking to," I snarled back at him, stepping in front of Lee. "What is he, your boyfriend, Hyuuga?" He sneered at me. "Shut your mouth before I do it for you," I growled back. "Ohhh, I'm sooooo scared," He smirked, his voice mocking me. "You little-"

"WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP?!" Someone screeched behind me. The Uchiha and I turned to look at the owner of the voice. And I stopped dead in my tracks; Sakura stood by a tent entrance. Her hair was let down, reaching her narrow waist. However that wasn't what made me stop; she was dressed only in her short shorts and a black bra. Shit. That was the only word in my mind. Her body was very fit and toned.

'Fuck,' I thought, 'Don't look at her!' Unfortunately my eyes stayed glued to her body, examining it. There was a collection of small cuts and bruises and a few scars, but what really drew my eyes was a long healed scar that started on her narrow waist and flew down to her hip. I wondered how far it went down her leg...Damn it! You're a Hyuuga, Neji! "And that goes for you too, Hyuuga!" My head snapped up to look at a frustrated Sakura. I really did try to listen to her, but my eyes kept wandering.

I hate myself.

I think, however, that my face stayed impassive... And thank Kami if it did. "...so immature!" I vaguely heard Sakura reprimanding me and the Uchiha. 'Oh no...you're very mature, Sakura...' I thought again. "Sakura, don't waste your breath...these guys are too busy ogling your chest." My eyes moved up to stare at Naruto. He pulled his jacket off and put it on her shoulders. Sakura thanked him, her face flushing slightly. "God, you guys act as if you've never seen a girl's chest before!" Naruto snapped as Sakura made her back into the tent.

"At least I don't look gay!" Sasuke sneered back at him before he stalked off. "Well my hair doesn't look like a chicken's ass!" Naruto called back, and then turned back to me. "So Neji...did you like what you saw?" Naruto winked at me, grinning mischievously. I raised an eyebrow. "What?" I asked. Naruto laughed. "I meant Sakura's choice of clothing." I froze and Naruto's grin only got bigger. "Yosh Neji my youthful student, your youthful help is needed for the power of youth grows under teamwork!" Gai-sensei called to me, and for once I was actually happy about it. Anything was better than talking to Naruto about Sakura.

As I walked towards Gai-sensei I vaguely heard Lee asking Naruto what he meant. I hoped Naruto would at least spare Lee from the details, but I heard him explain. Groaning mentally I made my way back to Gai-sensei. "Yes sensei, what do you need?" I asked. "I need you to youthfully pack up everything and take down the tents so we can continue on our youthful journey! Yosh!" I headed back to our tent and crawled inside, wishing that I could strangle myself with the blankets.

Anything would be better than this.

***Sakura's P.O.V.***

We finally got back on the road – and about time, too! Being stuck in one area with Neji, Lee, Naruto and Gai was getting to be a bit much for me. The only bad thing about being back on the road was that it was so _boring._ Naruto was chatting away with Lee, and Saskue and Neji refused to talk...which only left my inner for conversation. **'**_**Soooo...has Neji swept you off your feet yet?'**_ I groaned inside my head. This was the reason why I didn't want to talk with my inner. _'I. Don't. Love. Him.'_ I said back, mentally gritting my teeth. _**'Ohooo, so you don't love him, but you still have the world's biggest crush on him!' **__'I do not have the world's biggest crush on him...but I told you that I have a tiny, microscopic, nearly non-existent crush on him...' _It was the wrong thing to say. _**'Psshhhh... Sakura, don't lie to yourself! You are in loveeeeeee!' **_Replied my inner in a sing-song voice.

**--later—**

Thank Kami that we reached Tazuna's house later that night. HIs daughter was so nice to us, but Naruto and Sasuke kept bickering. I noticed a small, dark-haired boy who was hanging around the doorway. "Hey," I said, but he vanished before I could say more. That night we finally got to eat the first real food that we had had for a long time. "More!" Naruto shouted, setting his bowl down on the table. "I want more as well," Sasuke added, glaring over at him. "Both of you shut up! Don't be rude!" I smacked both of them upside the head. But they both ate themselves sick anyways. I was glad when night finally set. Tenten and I were sharing a room, since we were the only girls. The guys were camped out in the other room, and I remembered hearing Naruto's snores before drifting off to sleep.

**Dream world**

Darkness. Darkness everywhere. Where was the light? The sun? I shivered, looking around. My breath caught in my throat as I realized that I was looking at my village. It was in shambles, buildings down and demolished everywhere. "Naruto! Ami! Geminia! Izumi!" Desperately, I called out the names of my friends. I stumbled forward and under the gate. "Where are you?!" I cried, feeling panic well up inside. But things only got worse. Burning buildings came into view, the stench of smoke filling my nose. "Guys!" I shouted, really beginning to panic now.

Suddenly, a no-face appeared in my vision. It roared, and I screamed and took off down a side street, my breath rasping in and out of my chest. I stopped dead in my tracks, panic and fear overriding every sense. An army of no-faces stood before me. "No...no!" I wailed, stumbling back. Suddenly I forgot how to breathe. Yuki, his long blue hair dirty and tangled, crouched on the ground. He clutched at his left arm and raised his head to meet my eyes. His left arm wasn't his arm...it was the claw of a no-face!

Even as I looked at him, the black skin of the no-face spread even further up his arm and crept onto his chest, beginning to eat away at his face his face. More no-faces floated above and behind him. "Sakura...help me!" He choked out, reaching out a hand to me. "Yuki!" I shouted, rushing forward to try and help him, but the no-faces bared my way. I could see him becoming fainter and fainter as I pushed my way to him. "Yuki!" I cried, my fingers wrapping around his. But he faded into nothing, leaving me empty-handed and alone with the no-faces.

**Exit dream world**

I whipped upright, a sob breaking out of my chest. My hand flew to my face, and I was shocked and embarrassed to find tears pouring down my face. Fingers shaking, I peeled back the covers and made my way out of the room, heading to the boys' room. Finding Naruto was easy; even in the dark his blonde hair stood out. I stumbled over to his side and pulled back the covers, crawling in next to him. I curled into a ball, but I was already beginning to calm down. I felt Naruto shift, and then I could feel his breath on my hair.

"...Sakura? What is it?" He mumbled, still half-asleep. "Bad dream," I whispered back, shivering as I remembered Yuki's stricken face. "...Mmm. Okay." His arms wrapped around me and I briefly marveled at the irony of it. When he had first come to the village, that was the position that I had often taken; my arms like a shield around him. Nightmares had troubled Naruto nightly...but that was once upon a time. I could feel sleep coming now, like a heavy blanket, and my eyes slid shut. Some small, still-awake part of my mind registered the withdraw of arms and then cold as the blankets were drawn away. But then the arms were back again, and I was warm again. With a sigh, I drifted fully to sleep.

**Naruto's P.O.V.**

Damn... I couldn't sleep and it was all Sakura's fault! I mean I love Sakura like a sister and all but I was having such a great dream about Hinata! Heh...but then gosh damnit! I got woken up and now I can't get back to sleep. I shifted slightly and stared down at Sakura. Then an idea popped into my head. It was so deliciously evil that it was perfect! I grinned and then shifted and began to gently move Sakura away from me and towards Neji – whose bedroll was right next to mine.

**Sakura's P.O.V.**

--Morning—

I snuggled closer into the warmth around me. Then I stopped. There was a fresh scent in the fabric of the bed roll (and probably Naruto's shirt as well). But... Naruto never smelled so good. His scent was usually some cheap soap and ramen. So who was I snuggling with?! _**'Take one guess, Sakura!' **_Horror flashed through me; I snapped my head up and my eyes open. Oh dear Kami! I wasn't snuggling into Naruto! I was burying my head into Neji's chest! His really muscular chest...damn it! I shouldn't be worrying about whether Neji's chest was muscular or not, but rather how to get out of this horrible situation.

_**'Oh come on Sakura just enjoy it! Kami, look, he's actually holding us! Can you feel how muscular his arms are? This has to be paradise! **__**Shanarro!' **_I felt my cheeks getting hot, and I tried to wiggle out of Neji's arms; I heard a grunt escape Neji's unconscious body. My body tensed up; the last thing I needed was Neji to wake up and make things worse. My heart was beating faster and faster in my chest as Neji stirred. Suddenly Neji's arms tightened drawing me closer. Now my entire body was being mashed against his. **'I looooooovvvvvveeeeeeee Yooouuu neji-kun!'** Purred my inner, practically drooling.

I wish I was still asleep.

I wiggled a little and then gave up with a sigh and looked up. Neji's face looked so peaceful....and okay, he definitely was handsome....when he wasn't being an ass, that is. **'See, I knew that you'd realize your undying love! Now quickly, no one is looking, and you and Neji are in the same bedroll... ' **_'Stop your pervy thoughts, you're ruining the moment!' _I thought back at my inner. "Yosh! I have awakened from my ever youthful slumber! Neji, it's time to awaken... WHAT IS THIS UNYOUTHFULNESS?!" Neji groaned, opening his eyes.

"Shut up," He said, and then his eyes slid shut again. Had he not seen me with my bright pink hair (which would probably get me killed one day because of its uniqueness?)? A few moments passed before Neji's eyes flew open again, his brow furrowing. "Sakura...?!" He asked, his eyes staring into mine. Once again he pulled me closer (if that was even possible, since my body was already squashed against his). My cheeks began to feel hot again, and my blood felt like acid bubbling in my veins. "Neji, you must release Sakura-san, this is most un-youthful! I have pledged my soul to protecting Sakura, and that includes her chastity!"

Now my cheeks were on fire, and my heart pounding. _'Oh Kami, Lee, just faint or something before I die!'_ I thought furiously. I felt Neji's hold tighten on me before they dropped suddenly. "Enough, Lee," Neji said, getting up. "Nothing happened. Do you think I would honestly force myself upon anyone? How could I, especially when the girl's chest is as flat as a boys and who has a child's body?" Neji was now standing, his arms crossed over his chest, and looking annoyed.

That made me stop. My eyes were burning and my heart hurt. "How dare you!" I hissed, my voice being chocked by anger. "It's not my fault you're-" His harsh words never made it out before my hand hit its mark. The Hyuuga bastard stumbled back, touching his cheek in shock. I stalked out of the room. _'Well, inner? You have nothing to say about your Neji-kun now, do you?' _I snarled in my head. There was nothing but silence. I yanked the door to my (and Tenten's) room open. Thankfully Tenten was not around. I really, really didn't want to talk to anyone. I fell onto the floor, grabbed my blankets and screamed into them. I have never felt so frustrated!

**'It's okay Sakura,' **my inner murmured inside my head in a soothing voice. _'No, it's not okay! Just shut up!' _I screamed back at her. **'Shh...relax, everything is going to be okay. Neji was an ass, but we'll show him.'** I scowled both at her and in real life. _'What are you going to do about it, besides swooning over him?' _I could feel my inner grin. **'Don't worry, Neji didn't mean a single word that he said,' **she cooed. _'How do you know?' _**'Sakura, he was practically drooling over you yesterday, and you didn't hear him last night!' **she giggled. I raised a mental brow. _'Last night...?'_ **'Just watch and listen.' **A memory flashed in my head like a movie.

Everything was dark but I could smell the fresh scent of Neji's shirt. I was so close I felt a strange sensation run down my spine. "Sakura..." he murmured in his sleep. His lips brushed my cheek and neck as he nuzzled me affectionately. I gasped as the memory me buried her/my have into his chest, pulling him close. **'Don't the three of us look so cute together?!' **Inner cooed in my mind. I blushed and thought of how Neji was so close to me. Damn! I shouldn't have been feeling like this; feeling like my heart was gong to implode any moment now. **'Well, Sakura, you have to admit when you fall for someone you fall hard!' **I cursed, knowing that my inner was completely right.

***Neji's P.O.V.***

I touched my cheek gingerly; ever since Sakura had showed up an increase of violence had followed her. Normally I wouldn't care, but it seems most of this violence was directed towards me. I cursed silently remembering how Tenten had slapped me and then later, when Lee and I were sparring, Lee had hit me much harder than was necessary, saying that it was 'revenge for insulting Sakura-san.' And yesterday after helping Gai-sensei, Naruto found me, slapped me upside the head and threatened to 'Rip off my testicles and shove them down my throat,' if he found me ogling Sakura again. Then today Sakura goes and smacks me for no apparent reason...oh wait...shit. That's right, I insulted her...oh Kami, what did I do?! She probably hates me now, and the look on her face when I said those things! I felt horrible just thinking about it. But why did I care? Oh, damn it all to hell...I like her.

***Sakura's P.O.V***

I yawned and stretched out, lying on the grass in the sun. Naruto and Lee were sparring along with Neji and Sasuke. Tenten was sitting next to me, sharpening her endless supply of weapons. I was half-watching the sparring match, really for only one reason; I was hoping that someone would hit Neji really really hard. Sadly, he was probably doing the best, besides Sasuke. I yawned again before pulling myself up into a sitting position. It was really nice to be able to have a bit of spare time to relax, now that we were finally at Tazuna's house. Of course, being a ninja, there was no such thing as relaxation; each day Kakashi had us train hard.

I still wasn't speaking to Neji, and just to annoy him I was being extra nice to Sasuke. Every time I brightly told Saskue hello, I could see Neji's eyes narrow by a fraction, and I knew that it was bothering him. Well, good. The bastard deserved every bit of discomfort that went his way for what he had said to me. I wasn't planning on talking to him until he apologized, but Tenten had told me that hell would freeze over before he ever admitted to being wrong or saying sorry. Well, fine then. He could have it his way.

I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard Naruto yell out in a cross between anger, disappointment, and annoyance. "Damn, Lee, we lost again!" he complained, trudging over to where I was and sprawling on the ground besides me. Saskue smirked as he came up behind Naruto. "That's because you suck, dobe," he told him, earning a half-earnest "teme" in reply. Lee responded to Naruto cheerfully. "Don't worry, Naruto! We'll beat my eternally youthful rival next time!" Naruto groaned and waved a hand dismissively. "Well, I'm bushed for the moment," He said, rolling onto his stomach and propping himself up on his arms to look at me. "Now I'm bored."

I sighed, a half-sigh half-laugh. "Go find something to do then," I told him, and I could practically see the gears turning slowly in his head as he tried to come up with something to do. "Honestly," I laughed. "It's not that hard to find something to do. Go talk a walk or something. Climb some trees. Stab yourself with a kunai. Stab Neji with a kunai," I threw out the last suggestion much louder than the others, and I could see Neji's eye twitch in annoyance. "I'll take a walk, although that last idea isn't so bad," He said, shooting Neji a glare and earning a quiet mutter of protest. Naruto picked himself upright and dusted some spare grass off of his pants. He waved as he reached the tree line, and called out, "If I'm not back in an hour or so, don't worry...if I'm not back in a day, then be worried." I rolled my eyes as he disappeared into the woods.

***Naruto's P.O.V***

It was nice to be alone in the woods, to find some peace and quiet. I was getting sick (if this was possible) of Sakura's attempts to annoy Neji...she was really going overboard. Granted, I could understand why she was doing it – the things he had said to her were really mean! – but after a while it was starting to sicken me, seeing how overly nice she was being to Sasuke. Breaking away from my musings, I realized how tired that sparring match had made me.

Maybe I'd take a nice little nap... Up ahead I noticed a large clearing that was in the direct sunlight. That would be a great place – the sun would keep me warm. I sighed as I stepped into the clearing, the sunlight streaming over me. I knew that if Sakura was here she would have tousled my hair, because in the sunlight my hair always shone golden. No matter, though. I plopped down in the long grass and spread out on my back, sighing contentedly. I closed my eyes and lay an arm over them to help block the sunlight, and then before I knew it, I was drifting off to sleep...

-Later-

"Hey, are you alright there?" I blinked blearily, rubbing my eyes. A shadow had crossed my face, blocking my warm sunlight. "W-wha?" I sat up, and the shadow retreated. I rubbed my eyes again, trying to see in the now blinding sunlight. "Ah, I'm glad you're okay. I thought something might have happened to you." I looked over to the source of the voice. A girl sat in the clearing next to me, her long dark hair hanging down her back. "No, I was just sleeping..." I said, yawning. Urgh...she had woken me up from my nap!

"You woke me up," I grumbled, and she smiled slightly and ducked her head. "Oh, I'm sorry." I waved a hand. "Nah, its fine. I probably shouldn't have fallen asleep in the middle of the woods anyways. I'm Naruto Uzumaki, by the way." I offered her a grin. She was kinda cute...but not nearly as cute as Hinata was! "I'm...Haku," She said, smiling back. "So, Haku, what were you doing out here, all alone?" She gestured towards a basket that I hadn't noticed before. "Collecting herbs and grasses." I blinked. "Oh. Um, okay... do you want some help?" I offered. She nodded. "That would be very nice." She smiled again.

"Okay, well, what are we looking for?" She held up a longish piece of a grass-like herb. "It should taste sort of sweet," she offered. "Okay. I can find that. Be right back." With a grin I was up and darting between the trees, scanning the ground for anything. There! A patch of the grass in a patch of sunlight. I grabbed a handful, feeling awful proud of myself, and popped a piece of the grass into my mouth. Bleah! Maybe she had told me to eat it just to play a trick on me... No matter. I ran back to where Haku was and held up my prize. "See, I found some!" She looked at me blankly. "That's just crabgrass, Naruto," She sighed, and I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. "Oh. Right. Maybe that's why it tasted like...grass..." That earned a laugh.

"Well, I appreciate the effort. I think I've got enough anyway." We descended into a silence that rested easily in the sunlit clearing. "So, Naruto, tell me...do you have anyone that's special to you?" Her question caught me off guard. "What do you mean?" She fiddled with a strand of hair. "I mean...people that are very dear to you." I paused for a moment, thinking. Yeah, I realized, I did. There was Sakura, of course. And Kakashi, and Lee, and maybe even Sasuke...that last one was a long shot, though. I kept thinking. Hinata...oh, yes, she was special... old man Third was in there, too. Not to mention my gang; Izumi, Geminia, Ami... and Yuki, too. I couldn't forget him, even though he was dead.

"Yeah," I said softly. "I do. Many people. Do you?" I felt like I had to ask, and she smiled, almost a little ruefully. "Yes, I do. It's him who these herbs are for...he's ill. But he is very dear to me. I would do anything for him...even as far as giving my life for him. I would do it in an instant." I listened quietly. I could relate to her...I would give my life for Sakura's in an instant. "He's ill?" I asked, frowning. "That's too bad. But hey, maybe I could help! My friend, she knows medical ninjutsu..." I stopped when I noticed Haku shaking her head.

"No, no, I couldn't possibly let you do that. He's almost better anyways." She smiled, and I nodded and smiled back. "Well, if you're sure, then, okay." Haku glanced up at the sky, then, and I noticed that the sun was no longer shining full force on us. Long shadows were dragging from the trees that surrounded us. "Wow," I murmured. "Time really flew." She nodded. "I must be going now," Haku said, a little apologetic. "My special person is waiting for me." I grinned and stood up, stretching. "I can understand that. Well, Haku, it was really nice to meet you...I hope that one day we'll meet again." She smiled and made her way to the trees. "Oh, and Naruto, by the way..." I listened as she stepped into the shadows.

"I'm really a boy."

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**Hello readers! And now our sorry excuses for why this is so late. First, Kitsunegirl2 was on vacation last weekend, not to mention busy on every saturday and last sunday with forensics tournaments. Kitsunegirl1 doesn't have a whole life to spend on the computer typing, and she's got forensics too. Plus we both have school, yippee! Not.**

**But anyways, we hope that you really like this chapter. more nejisakura, yay! neji finally realizes his feelings...'bout time, I say. ignorant fool. **

**Please read and review! ^.^**

**-kitsunegirls**


	14. Shemales, and The Joys of Being Lost

**Okay, so if I told you my evil teacher who is actually a pig faced evil madman held me hostage for a bag of cookies would any of you believe me? No? Ok so then I'll settle for the truth, kitsunegirl2 and I are guilty of laziness, writer's block, lack of motivation, and an EVIL teacher who despises my guts held that me hostage. Still don't believe? Yes? No? Okay I'll shut up now..... **

**Disclaimer: If I really owned Naruto do you think I'd be sitting here writing about it? **

Chapter 14: Shemales, and The Joys of Being Lost in a Forest

Naruto P.O.V.

OH MY GOD...WHAT THE FUCK?! How can someone who so girly be a guy? Woah, this is definitely going on the 'weirdest things ever' list. I mean really, who would have thought the she would be a he; it's like a major twist in life. Now that's just crazy.... well I suppose it's not the first time it has happened. Shaking my head I looked up at the sky to see if that could give any clue to the time now. "Huh... It's dark out sooo... It must be nighttime!" I declared – wow, I hadn't even realized how much time had passed while I was helping Haku, the shemale. I snickered softly, shemales.... hey, with that long hair of his... maybe Neji's a shemale too! I exploded into laughter as I began walking, and then stopped. "Oh, shit... which way did I come from again?" I stared out at the trees hoping one of them might tell me; unfortunately the trees seemed to be as cold and un-talkative as Neji. Giving a sigh I gave a gloomy look to the trees and took a random path, hoping that by some amazing stroke of luck I would make it out of here. Or at least find a bowl of ramen.

**Sakura's P.O.V***

Where was that idiot? Naruto had been gone a lot longer than I expected – I figured that he would be back by nighttime, but here I was, waiting outside for him. It was dark, and in the forest it would be even darker.... that idiot was probably hopelessly lost. "Kakashi-sensei, are you sure that I can't go look for him?" I called again, hoping that maybe this time Kakashi would change his mind. "For the last time, Sakura. No. Now seriously, stop asking. And I bet he's fine – Naruto is a shinobi, he can take care of himself. Now come inside." Thinking very mean thoughts about Kakashi, I picked myself up and headed inside.

**Naruto P.O.V**

Okay. Shit. I have to face it...I'm lost. I groaned and put my head in my hands, hoping by some miracle that when I opened my eyes again, I would know which way to go. Okay, let's try it... Damn. I'm still lost. I swore out loud, punching a tree in frustration. But that only made my hand hurt. And I probably hurt the tree too. With an angry sigh, I slid down against the tree. I would probably be sleeping out here tonight. No blankets, no soft bed, no ramen...almost as if it had been planned, my stomach gurgled. I closed my eyes and hoped that sleep would come quickly...thankfully, it did.

**Next morning**

Ugh...why is it so bright? It's never been this bright in my room before...did I forget to close the shades? Yeah, probably. Or maybe Sasuke-bastard opened them when he got up. Stupid moron. I rubbed my eyes and groggily opened them to see bright sunlight streaming down into the forest. Oh yeah, that's right...I never made it back, did I?

**Sakura's P.O.V.**

"I DON'T FUCKING CARE WHAT YOU THINK, KAKASHI! I'M GOING TO LOOK FOR HIM, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!" I stormed out the back door, slamming it extra hard as I went out. Stupid, stupid sensei! Why couldn't he see that Naruto was an idiot, and he wasn't going to make it back on his own? He _needed_ me! And I had been worrying about his seal – the kid had been a little unstable lately... I stormed out into the forest, still fuming. Okay, Sakura, just calm down. You're never going to find him unless you calm down enough to look for his chakra. I closed my eyes and tried to breathe deeply, sending out small waves of my chakra to look for Naruto's. Shit. Nothing. I moved on, being careful to watch the ground for any signs of trampled plants or torn roots.

Once I had moved on a while yet, I stopped and sent out my chakra again. There! It was faint, but there was a trace of his chakra up ahead. I took off sprinting, following the trail through the forest. As I kept going, the trace got stronger and stronger. I burst out into a clearing, full sunlight streaming down on me. "NARUTO!" I screamed as I launched myself at the blond on the ground; I landed on top of him, and he let out a startled yelp. Naruto blinked and looked up at me. I was beaming. Oh thank Kami, I found him, I found him! "You found me," He said happily, but then he groaned. "Okay, can you get off? Don't take this the wrong way, but you're heavy." I quickly slid off of him to lie on the ground next to him.

"Naruto, why didn't you come back?" I asked softly, reaching out to play with his hair. He looked at me funny. "I got lost," He said flatly. His look said 'you-think-I-didn't-come-back-on-purpose?' "Ah, right, sorry." I muttered, embarrassed. "Well, anyways, you're here now, so I'm not lost anymore. Um, you do know how to get back...right?" I laughed and hugged him. "Yes, I know which way I came from. But really, it wasn't that hard to find this place...how come you couldn't make it back on your own?" Naruto fidgeted. "Well, this was where I fell asleep, but then after a while I moved around. I only made it back to the clearing by chance, I think." I listened carefully and then something occurred to me. "Hey, what were you doing out here anyways? I mean, even you can't sleep for as long as you were gone." He seemed very uncomfortable with the question. "Nothing, nothing. Just messing around, exploring a bit..." I looked carefully at him. I could tell that he wasn't being completely honest...he was hiding something. But I decided to let it drop for now. "We should probably head back now," I sighed, and then I groaned.

"Oh god, Kakashi-sensei is gonna kill me." I despaired for a moment before standing up and stretching. "Why?" Naruto asked as he stood up as well. I started out into the forest, back along the path that I had come from. I could still trace my chakra right back to Tazuna's house. "He didn't want me to look for you. Said that 'you were a shinobi – you could take care of yourself'," I quoted sourly, reaching back to take Naruto's hand so that he wouldn't get lost again. I heard Naruto's annoyed grunt from behind.

"Stupid scarecrow," He muttered.

We finally made it out of the forest, and I towed Naruto along to the house. I opened the door and called loudly, "I'm back! And guess who I found, LOST in the forest! Naruto!" I swore I could feel Sasuke's glare through the wall. We headed into the living room area, where said raven-haired bastard looked up, annoyance written in his eyes. "You could have just left him out there, you know. I wouldn't have cared." I aimed a kick at his head – which he easily dodged. "No one asked your opinion, dumbass." Then Kakashi strolled into the room, giving me a hard look. I gulped. "Uh, hi, Kakashi-sensei," I said nervously. "Guess who I found?" His eyes flickered once to Naruto. "As if I couldn't hear the first time. Sakura, I told you not to look for him!" Naruto interrupted. "Yeah, exactly! Why didn't you want her to look for me? I could have been lost forever! I could have died!" He growled. "Okay, that's a bit dramatic," I muttered quietly, but then Kakashi spoke. "Because you are a ninja, and you shouldn't have gotten lost in the first place. You dug yourself into that hole, and I expected you to dig yourself out. In fact, I'm rather disappointed that Sakura had to go get you." Naruto started angrily at the insult. "Well, I'm disappointed that all you can do is sit around on your ass and read porn!" He whirled and stalked out of the room, leaving me to my doom.

**Naruto's P.O.V.**

Stupid fucking teacher! Yeah, I realize that I should have been able to find my way out of the forest. And I realize that I should have never fallen asleep, because that left myself open for anyone. I had only lucked out that Haku hadn't been an enemy. I had made a mistake, yes. But Kakashi didn't have to insult me in front of everyone. Stupid bastard. I headed back outside, whipping out a kunai and flinging it at a tree with as much power as I could. It lodged itself halfway into the trunk, and then stuck there, quivering slightly. I walked towards the kunai and then ripped it out of the tree, leaving a large wound in the trunk. "Yo! Fox-kun!" Sakura was jogging towards me with a somewhat worried expression on her face.

"What?" I growled, twirling the kunai around my finger. She pulled to a stop in front of me. "Look, Kakashi is never gonna do it, so I'm apologizing for him. That was rude of him. Even I wouldn't have ever done something like that, even to someone like Sasuke. So...yeah. Don't take what he said too hard, okay?" Her eyes were pleading me to let go of the anger. I looked away, unable to meet her eyes. Abruptly, I turned away and headed towards the street. "Where are you going?" She asked, jogging after me. "Out," I said flatly. "And I'm going alone." Sakura stopped, frustration and annoyance crossing her face. "Really, come on. Just let it go already about Kakashi. You can come back in with me – stay in my room tonight or something. Ignore it when anyone talks to you. Just don't go again, please?" I stopped and sighed, passing a hand over my face. "Fine. Fine, you win. Okay? Happy? We're going back in. I'm going to get some food and then I'm gong to your room and not coming out. Got it?" She nodded and reached for my hand, taking it in hers. Even though we were the same age and height, I was always fascinated by how small her hands were.

We headed back inside, and I went for the kitchen, like I had promised. Where was the instant ramen? Ah, there. I grabbed a cup, not paying attention to the flavor, and poured water into it and then set it on the stove. Just then Kakashi stepped into the kitchen. I froze, and he stopped awkwardly. "Um, just bring that in when it's done," I muttered to Sakura, slipping around him and into the hallway, and from there into Sakura's room. Oh, shit. I forgot that it was Sakura and Tenten's room. She was perched on one of the beds, an insanely large pile of weapons spread out around her. I cleared my throat, feeling uncomfortable. She whirled around, eyes narrowing, but relaxed when she saw it was me. "Oh, Naruto...hi," she said lamely, and I nodded and slid onto Sakura's bed. My stomach gurgled loudly, and I heard Tenten stifle a giggle with a cough. "Sorry." She said stiffly, trying to mask a small smile. I waved a hand dismissively. "S'okay," I muttered, eyelids feeling heavy. It was possible that I would fall asleep before Sakura came back with my ramen... Thank Kami that she came back right then, chopsticks in one hand and the cup of ramen in the other. I reached out for them and began shoveling ramen faster into my mouth than I thought possible.

I hadn't ever remembered being this hungry before, except for maybe as a little kid. But I really didn't remember that much. Sakura gave me a look. "Slow down," She chided, "You're going to make yourself sick, eating too fast with an empty stomach." I ignored her and finished my ramen, leaning back with a contented sigh. "Hey, Tenten," I said drowsily. "Would you mind if I stayed in here for the night?" She looked as if she was going to object, but then she shrugged and shook her head. "Nah. I actually don't care," She said, smiling. "I trust you. You won't do anything...right?" Her smile faltered for a moment and I laughed. "Trust me. I won't be leaving this bed, let alone be awake," I told her, rolling over so that I was facing the wall. As I lay, the previous days events finally seemed to set in; I managed to mumble "G'night, Sakura," before my eyes closed and I was asleep.

***Next Day***

Had I neglected to mention that Sakura's room lacked any shades? No? I never mentioned it? Apparently, Sakura hadn't bothered to tell me about them, either. A beam of sunlight hit my eyes, and I stirred, still half-asleep. Somehow I had managed to roll over and almost off the bed, which was odd, considering I almost never moved around while sleeping. I opened my eyes, and then shut them again when the sun blinded me. I groaned, and felt Sakura stir besides me, and then her hand was in my hair. "Hey, sunshine, get up," She mumbled, making my already-messy hair even worse. "Why must you always insist on calling me sunshine?" I grumbled, sliding into a sitting position. "Well, today particularly because the sun is on your hair, and it is really golden," she commented, sitting up besides me. I yawned.

"Well, what's for breakfast?" Sakura shrugged. "Whatever you're making me," She said coyly, and I shot her a murderous look before sliding out of bed. I noted that Tenten was already gone, her bed neatly made. I sighed. "Can't I just hide in here until Kakashi is gone?" I asked, and Sakura scowled. "No. You're going to suck it up and be a big boy and go out there," She said as if speaking to a child, earning a glare in return. I grumbled as I slipped into my clothes, and then opened the door and stepped out. "Hurry up and get dressed. Don't abandon me to them alone," I pleaded, and then shut the door behind me as I headed to the kitchen.

As I walked in, all conversation suddenly died as Sasuke and Kakashi noted my entrance to the room. All except for good old Lee. The kid was a god-sent. "Good morning, Naruto-san!" He said, blissfully unaware of the previous night's argument. "Morning, Lee," I mumbled as I went for a cup of instant ramen. I began to heat the water and then waited in an uncomfortable silence. "You know, eating that stuff for every meal can't be healthy or good for your brain. And you of all people should be worrying about your brain," Sasuke said snidely from his place at the table. "Shut up, teme," I said, giving him the finger and retrieving my ramen from the microwave. Sakura strolled into the kitchen then, giving me a look when she noticed my ramen. I shrugged and started for the bedroom again, but she gave me a hard look and glanced very pointedly towards the table. I gave her a look that said 'I'll-kill-you-for-this-later' and slid in next to Kakashi, doing my best to not see him. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Uh, Naruto, about last night...I, uh, shouldn't have said what I did in front of everyone, and so...I hope that we can just forget that?" My mouth practically hit the floor. Kakashi was actually....apologizing?! "...Hell must have frozen over last night," I declared. And that was that.

***Sakura's P.O.V.***

Kakashi's eye narrowed at Naruto's statement. "So I just took a major self-esteem blow by apologizing to a 16-year-old, and all I get back is the statement that hell froze over?" He said sourly, as Naruto exited the room. "Kakashi," I sighed, exasperated. "You just said it. He's a 16-year-old boy. He's hormonally, unbalanced, aggressive and that other crap. You've got to expect some sarcasm here." He sighed, but I knew that he now felt better about the situation. "So, what are we doing today?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

He shrugged, and I sighed and mentally said some bad things about his teaching skills. Mainly the fact that they sucked. "Okay, really?" I asked, trying to keep the frustration out of my voice. Kakashi answered after a moment. "We're going out to supervise the bridge building. As you might have noticed, Tazuna has been gone for the past few days, back at work. It's about time that we got working again as well, no? We're leaving as soon as you finish breakfast, so hurry up," He instructed, and I shoveled down a few bites of cereal before dumping my bowl in the sink. "Naruto! We're going!" I called, and a few moments later he stepped back into the kitchen. He nodded a little stiffly to Kakashi, and I knew that he had let the matter go. Sort of. "I assume that you were listening?" I asked, and he nodded. "Alright then. Let's go." We all headed out the door with Sasuke pulling up the back.

***At the bridge***

Sheesh, was it hot! Being on the bridge with no shade was boiling. I wondered how the crewman managed to stand the heat. Just then we all heard a scratchy, familiar voice. "Hello," Tazuna called, waving once. I followed Kakashi and Sasuke over to where our favorite bridge builder was, Naruto tagging along behind me. "It seems that things are going well," Kakashi commented, gesturing out towards the work being done. "Yes it is, thanks to my being here. And for you getting me here, I suppose," He added as an afterthought, and I sighed mentally.

_**'Pffft, stupid...what, we just helped him get here? Without us, he wouldn't have made here alive! Talk about ungrateful.'**_ Inner chimed inside my head, and I realized that she had been quiet lately. _**'Yeah, I've been quiet because you're still refusing to forgive our Neji-kun! I mean really. If Naruto can forgive Kakashi, then you can manage to forgive Neji.' **_I sighed. _'Well yeah, but Kakashi told Naruto that he was sorry first, and then Naruto forgave him. Neji hasn't said he's sorry, and I told him that I wouldn't speak a word to him until he said he was sorry! So there – you loose! Now be quiet. I'm probably missing something important.'_ Inner subsided into a sulky silence, and I blinked as I shifted back into the real world.

"What did I miss?" I whispered quietly to Naruto. "Nothing much. Just Tazuna explaining about how wonderful his bridge building skills are," He replied quietly, sarcasm dripping in his voice, and then fell back into silence. I half-listened as Tazuna went on explaining about the bridge building process, and how well it was going. Suddenly it seemed as if the sun had disappeared or at least someone had put a shade on it. The light dimmed to a sort of hazy grey, and then a chilling mist drifted in. I shivered, looking around for the source of the suddenly strange weather. I glanced over at Kakashi, looking for guidance, and he looked wary, distrust written across his face. "Kakashi-sensei," I began, but he held up a hand to silence me. "heh nice to see you again, Kakashi," I froze, every muscle tensing at the deep, cruel voice. "Zabuza.." Sensei said. And before anyone else could say a word we launched ourselves into battle.

**We are SO VERY SORRY FOR THE LACK OF UPDATING!!!! T.T school decided it wanted to take over our lives so that just sorta happened. Anyhow REVIEW!!! OR KITSUNEGIRL1 WILL SEND DEMONS FROM THE DEEPEST PITS OF HELL TO DEVOUR YOUR SOUL!! Anyone who does review will get a cookie! ^.^ **


	15. Lost in A Demon's Abyss

**A.N: Okay so...should we kill off Kyo-sensei in a tragic and heroic way? I say yes but Kitsunegirl2 says no, so now it's your turn to make a stand and tip the scale! Do it now or I'll have Sakura resurrect Yuki, then destroy Kohona, become Orochimaru's bitch, and sell Neji to Itachi. Oh and did I mention she'll kill Naruto and Sasuke too? And Lee (although no one really cares about him) will join the Akatsuki under the circumstances of selling sex tapes of him and Gai. So vote and review to stop all this from happening.**

**(Hey um so, I don't want to kill Kyo so yeah. Also, I suck at battle scenes, so if anything sounds weird it's my bad. –Kitsunegirl2)**

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Chapter 15: Lost in a Demon's Abyss

When Kakashi charged, I followed. Adrenaline was already being released into my system as I anticipated what was to come. As Kakashi traded blows with Zabuza, I sneaked around Zabuza's massive form intending to screw with some nerves, but someone rammed into me. I fell to the ground, feeling the air leaving my lungs as I skidded back. I moved back into a crouch, glancing up to see my attacker. He was dressed in a somewhat formal robe with black hair tied back in a bun. A white mask covered his face. Wait a minute...that mask looked familiar.

"Holy shit! You're that hunter nin!" He stood impassively, but now I remembered. It was the same nin that had taken Zabuza's body from us before; we hadn't even suspected that the supposed 'hinter nin' was on Zabuza's side. He moved then, just a blur that darted away. Damn, was he fast! Then senbon needles came flying at me from all sides. I moved, jumping up so that the needles flew harmlessly into the ground.

I heard Naruto come in behind me, landing neatly at my side. The other ninja appeared in front of us again soundlessly. "I'll deal with this," I said to Naruto, darting forward to swing a punch. He avoided it neatly, retaliating with a kick that I dodged as well. The punches and kicks continued, neither one of us managing to land a hit. Then I swung up my leg and it nicked him on the bottom of his jaw, and with a small_ tink_ the mask went flying. He had smooth features and pale blue-green eyes.

I heard a sort of strangled gasp from Naruto and he choked out, "H-haku?!" Wait, what? He knew this person?! I turned to look at him. "Naruto... just who is this guy?" I asked slowly, then – WHAM! His fist made an impact in my right cheek. I flew backwards into Naruto and we landed rather unceremoniously in a heap on the ground. I leaped to my feet, Naruto coming up besides me more slowly. He stared at Haku, his face stricken. "You...you were with him all along?" He asked, sounding sick. Haku was silent, face impassive. "In the forest...you..." He trailed off and then started again.

"Your 'special person' was Zabuza. How? How can that be? And more importantly, why am I still alive? You had your chance, so why didn't you just take me out there?" Haku still remained silent. "Why, damnit! **I asked you why?!**" The last sentence was a snarl, and I whirled around. Naruto's eyes were a crimson color and they blazed with a fury that was not human. The whisker marks on his cheeks spread and darkened as I looked on, and red chakra swirled around him. "Naruto!" I screamed, panic washing over me. My voice did nothing.

A feral and inhuman snarl tore itself from deep in his chest and suddenly he was gone, nothing but a red blur. The next moment Haku was slammed into from the side and he went flying, crashing into the side rail of the bridge. "What the-" I heard the exclamation from behind and I turned. There on the bridge stood Neji, Lee and Tenten. Shock and a little bit of horror was written on their faces. "What the fuck is that?" Neji asked, jerking his head towards Naruto.

"It's Naruto!" I blurted, and his eyes widened slightly. "He's...not well. You have to help me get him to calm down!" I pleaded, and as one they all nodded. Meanwhile Haku was getting a beat down. He could hardly move before Naruto hit him again and again, but as we watched he finally pulled himself into a crouch.

This time, when Naruto went to him, he dodged roughly to the side. Naruto landed on the ground in an animalistic stance. Fiery red chakra covered his entire body and streamed off into the shape of a tail behind him. It even extended past his head, creating long fox-like ears. I shivered at the killer intent that was rolling off of his body in waves. His eyes were blood red with angry black slits, and he snarled.

"Go!" I shouted and Neji leaped forward, his hands lighting up ever so slightly with blue-green chakra. At the same time Haku moved, senbon needles flying from his hand. Naruto leaped straight towards Neji. "He won't hurt you – just go!" I called, but oh, was I wrong. He slashed at Neji, catching us both by surprise, and Neji twisted and landed awkwardly while Naruto snarled and faced us. No. There was no way he could attack us, attack me.

There was no way....was there?

Neji darted in, his hands hitting at chakra points along Naruto's side, and he managed a few hits before having to move again. However, it seemed to have little effect as his red charka didn't even waver. He only snarled, seeming more enraged. Neji moved in again, hitting again and again, pummeling Naruto. Every time he landed a hit, I winced. I mean, Naruto's my best friend – it goes against my nature to just stand by and watch him get beat up on. Then he moved and landed in front of me, and I took a step back. His demonic eyes stared up at me with no human recognition.

"Naruto!" I shouted, sounding a lot braver than I felt. "You are Naruto. You are not that fox! You hear me? _You are not that fox! You're better than that!_" He paused, going absolutely still for a moment, and I saw the faintest glimmer or recognition in his eyes. "Remember who you are. You are Naruto Uzumaki, not the fox! _Remember who you are!_" I could see now that he was struggling to fight down the thing that was trying to take over. "Fight it," I whispered, watching torment in his eyes. "Remember who you are."

***Naruto's P.O.V.***

I stood in a dark, watery room that reminded me strongly of a sewer. I stood in a few inches of water. In front of me were several large bars, and behind it, I could see a pair of red eyes. **"So, kit, you've come to me for power?"** I started when the loud, deep voice boomed around the small room. The voice chuckled darkly. **"I knew you would. You always do. When you get angry or upset, you open yourself to me, giving yourself over to my power. You are nothing without me, kit."** In my mind, I could see that the fox was right. Images of myself when I got carried away flickered through my mind.

"No," I said, trying to sound strong and steely but coming out more weak. "I don't need you..." I trailed off when the fox laughed loudly, a cold and cruel laugh that echoed through the whole room. **"Why do you feed yourself lies? Admit it. You need me, kit."** I could see that he was right. My resolve was weakening, and I could feel more of his power flowing through me. I felt almost...sleepy.

**"That's right, kit. Let me have control, use my power, and we will be unstoppable. We could kill anyone you want. You could even rule Konoha..."** Suddenly Sakura's voice echoed in my head. _"You are not the fox. You're better than that! Remember who you are!"_ I stirred from my half-aware stupor. What...? _"You are not the fox! You are Naruto Uzumaki! Remember who you are."_ And suddenly I was there, I was awake; I could see what the fox was doing, preying on my fears and taking advantage.

"No. You're wrong. I am strong without you. My friends are my strength." I could feel the Kyuubi's chakra beginning to recede, and I could feel his pure hatred ripping through me.** "Just wait, kit...you say now that you don't need me, but just watch. You'll come crawling back. I'm betting on it. Until then..." **His voice receded until it was nothing, and the red eyes vanished.

I was back in control.

***Sakura's P.O.V.***

I watched as Naruto's eyes flickered between red and blue. And then, to everyone's amazement, the fiery chakra slowly began to recede. The tail vanished, as did his ears, and it went down until all that was left was a small layer of red. His eyes drooped and then shut as he slid forward and to the ground. I leaped forward and caught him, gently shaking him.

"Naruto, wake up, wake up. You did it. Now come on, wake up." His eyelids fluttered and then opened. "Sakura?" He asked, mangling the word. "Yes. You beat the fox." He smiled, and then pushed himself up and into a sitting position. He looked down at his still-red hands. "But..." He made a sort of helpless gesture towards his body. I shrugged, and then looked up sharply when I heard a yell from Tenten. I had almost forgotten that Haku and Zabuza were still here. She was matched up against him, meeting his senbon needles with every weapon that I'd even seen. Then Neji darted in, his hand connecting with a point in Haku's side, and he tumbled awkwardly to the ground.

Haku looked up at Naruto and spoke for the first time. "You ask why? Because he is my life," He said simply, and we all knew that he was talking about Zabuza. Suddenly Naruto moved, and his fist connected with the side of Haku's face. He stared down at him, face expressionless as a small trickle of blood made its way down from Haku's mouth. "Can't you see that he's using you?" Naruto asked quietly. "I am aware. I simply choose to work with him. He is my life," Haku repeated, and then he moved, his hands knocking Naruto's feet off the ground so that he landed hard on his back. I saw the breath leave his lungs, and then I moved, tackling Haku to the ground.

He landed on top of me, and I kicked him roughly away. Then the mists rolled in and I lost sight of him. I could hear Kakashi and Zabuza's battle going on, and a dark chuckle from Zaubza drifted through the mists. Then I realized something. Where was Sasuke? Oh, fuck. Do _not_ tell me that he was with Kakashi, trying to fight Zabuza! The stupid, arrogant bastard was probably trying to fight him now. "Move!" I yelled, darting toward the sounds of Kakashi's fighting. I heard Naruto and the rest follow after me through the blinding mists.

I saw a large, dark shape fly towards another, which I identified as Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei, move!" I called, but my words never reached him. I saw Zabuza swing his sword and it connected with Kakashi. Blood spurted from the large wound on his shoulder. He staggered slightly and then smiled. "Your mistake," He said. "Now you're covered in my blood. You're following my plan exactly." He slammed his blood-covered hand into the ground, and the sound of barking and snarling dogs echoed around us. Then several ninja hounds flew out of the mist and attacked Zabuza, sinking their teeth into him and holding him to the spot.

"You're finished, Zabuza," Kakashi said, and then his hand lit up with white-blue chakra that looked like lightning. "Chidori!" He shouted, and then he was running forward. He brought his hand back and then swung it forward, right towards Zabuza's heart...

...Blood spurted everywhere.

Kakashi stopped short, his eye widening. His hand was deep in Haku's chest. The boy stood, blood covering his body and face. His blue-green eyes stared at Kakashi, and a faint smile graced his lips. Then he slumped forward, the light leaving his eyes. We all stared, and behind me I heard Naruto stop dead. Kakashi gently pulled his hand from Haku's chest and softly set him down on the ground. He closed Haku's eyes.

Zabuza looked down at Haku's body. "You served me well." I heard Naruto let out an angry growl, and I slowly turned around. The fiery red chakra was back, but his eyes remained blue, although the pupils were slits. There was no tail or ears, but I was still wary. "Is that how you saw him? As a tool, something you could dispose of? You disgust me," He said, his voice sad but angry at the same time. "You don't even deserve to be called human," Naruto spat, and he started to speak again when Zabuza interrupted him.

"Do you think I'm that heartless? To want him to die? He didn't deserve to die, and I didn't deserve him, but he followed me anyway..." Then a loud, cold laugh echoed around us. The mists parted and cleared to reveal a pudgy brown haired man and a whole hoard of his men standing behind him. They all carried weapons. Zabuza looked at the man, "Gato..." He said almost inaudibly. "The Great Zabuza mourning the loss of a little boy? You're weaker than I thought; you are nothing but a disgrace. That boy is right, you don't deserve to be called human; you're not even worth that much." Gato laughed, and his men did the same.

"Honestly, The Great Demon of The Mist is nothing but a sniveling little brat!" I heard Naruto snarl from behind me, and then he blew past me, heading towards Gato and his men. "Naruto!" I screamed, starting after him, but Sasuke grabbed my arm and held me back. "You can't go after him! They'll kill you!" I tried to rip his hand off. "They'll kill _him! _Let me go!" But he only held tighter. Naruto darted between Gato's men, slashing at anyone he could reach. They whirled and slashed uselessly at him, because as soon as someone realized that he was there Naruto had already cut them down. Finally, three men ganged up on him and Naruto was caught between them.

One of them grabbed at him, but jerked his hand back with a yell when the fox's chakra burned him. Naruto grinned and kicked him in the face, and the thug went down. The second one threw a kunai that hit its mark in the inside of Naruto's elbow, but he ripped it out and I could see that it was already healing. That guy also was slashed down. The third thug turned and ran, and Naruto moved to continue fighting. "No! Naruto, come back!" I screamed, and he stopped mid-hit to turn and look at me.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto....The Greatest ninja in the fucking world!" He moved to keep fighting, but his words to me had given the other men a chance to aim a hit. Several kunai came flying out of the air and embedded themselves in his back and arm, and Naruto snarled and whirled back into the crowd. "Damnit Kakashi, do something!" I yelled at him, but then I almost smacked myself; yes, I'd like to see Kakashi go and fight. Then, to everyone's surprise, Zabuza spoke.

"Let me." I turned to face him, and he was looking down at Haku. "Let me atone for what I have done. So maybe I can be...like him..." I felt my throat tighten. Kakashi nodded, and the ninja hounds that were clamped onto his body released their holds. Zabuza looked down at Haku once more before an intense killing aura filled the air. White, angry chakra sprang up around his body and I shivered. So this was the true fierceness of The Great Demon of the Mist.

He grabbed his sword and raced into Gato's men, swinging it like a scythe and cutting down all in his path. Most of the men turned and fled, but Gato yelled, obviously trying to keep his men together but failing miserably. As Zabuza advanced, weapons were lodged fiercely into his body but he kept coming. He sliced his sword through the air one more time, and I closed my eyes as it sliced through Gato's body. There was a dull thump as the body it the ground. Then another as Zabuza fell too, a kunai stuck in his throat.

Suddenly I felt very small and weak, like my body aged a hundred years. My knees buckled and I fell. I don't remember hitting ground at all, but I felt someone yank me back up. I was standing again, although not on my own; my body was resting against someone else's. My first though was Naruto, but as I looked up I found pearly eyes staring into my own._ Neji_...Neji. My brain attempted to process this thought, but I was mentally and physically drained. "Where...N-Na-Naruto?" I forced out, "Here, right here.. Sakura." The familiar voice said; from here on Naruto and Lee took my weight and helped me to Tazuna's house.

***Back on the Road**

The next few days of recovery were a blur to me, everything was just happening. I almost felt as though I was an outsider watching from the sidelines. In fact the only thing that convinced me this was all real, and not some dream was the ache bruises that were large purple, and painful. Now however we once again stood on the not yet completed bridge, saying our goodbyes.

"Hey kid - blondie, check this out!" Tazuna said exuberantly. He pulled a white sheet off a large block to reveal a sign reading _The Great Naruto Bridge. _We all stopped and gaped at it. For a few moment there was complete silence, which I broke by saying, "Wow, so how does it feel to be a bridge Naruto?"

"I...I don't.. Why?" Naruto sputtered out. "Well kid you're a hero; you brought out the best of a criminal, and totally kicked ass." Tazuna said joyfully, and then stopped as Naruto shook his head. "No Tazuna.... Gato just... He didn't understand that real demons are the ones that attack from the inside; the ones who will do anything to show themselves." He was looking off into the distance and I understood he was speaking in more than a metaphor; he spoke from experience. I put a hand on his shoulder.

More silence ensued before, "Kid, I really don't know what happened to you that day, and frankly I really don't want to know. But what I do know is that whatever demon you have, you conquered it, and that is what really matters." Naruto met Tazuna's eyes. "No, old man. I haven't won yet, not by a long shot."

"Well then, I trust that you'll fight it tooth and nail? And that in the end you'll never give up, just like that pain in the ass you are?" Naruto laughed and put a hand on his stomach. "Oh believe me, I'll be the worse pain in the ass in all of the five great ninja lands!"

"Good lord and I thought I had seen the worst of you! I can't believe there's worse side of you!" We all laughed this time. Well, all except Sasuke, and Neji; they just don't know how to not be emotionally constipated.

* * *

**Ugh I went into turbo drive for this one! Enjoy. Sorry it's kinda short.... kitsunegirl1**

**Yay, Kitsunegirl2 fixed some small grammar issues and broke down some rather lengty paragraphs. Three cheers for both of us! Read and review like always. Don't forget to vote in our poll! **

**-Kitsunegirls  
**


	16. Unexpected

Chapter 16: Unexpected

Ah, to be on the road again! It was so nice to finally be able to leave Tazuna's house and to get away from everything that had happened on the bridge. But Wave country isn't exactly the nicest weather-wise and it was actually quite cold, with a chilly breeze blowing off the sea almost constantly. I made everyone stop and put on some extra layers so that no one would freeze.

"We're losing time," Sasuke complained, but I silenced him with a glare. "If someone gets sick and we have to stop, _then_ we're losing time. But this is not losing time." Sasuke grumbled about it, but Kakashi agreed with me. "Anyways, we need to get back and there is some explaining we'll have to do," Naruto said, and inwardly I winced; there would be a story to tell the Hokage as to why our team leader was injured.

"Speaking of explaining, why don't you start, Naruto? We all want to know what the hell happened at the bridge. So go on. We're all waiting, dobe," Sasuke spoke up, staring at Naruto. Blondie was silent for a while before he responded. "You will get an explanation. I swear that one day I will tell you everything, Sasuke. But not now. Not today. It's not the right time. But mark my words – one day you will know the truth." And then he would say no more as we continued on.

Sasuke tried to get an answer out of him, but finally Naruto got fed up and he glared fiercely at Sasuke, a glare that made me want to shut up, even though I wasn't even talking. Suddenly there was a strong gust of wind, but it was a different wind from the normal breezes we had been getting. It was...warm.

Then there was a pressure on my lungs, and I gasped for breath, feeling the air squeezed out of my lungs. I felt a tugging sensation in my gut and then it pulled hard. I still couldn't breathe; the air just wouldn't come into my lungs! Then the world blurred and suddenly sharpened again.

A face appeared in front of me; it was so familiar, and yet I couldn't place it! Eyes like molten gold looked at me, and I struggled to remember who he was. "Sleep." The one word was so strong a command that I obeyed immediately, my eyelids fluttering shut. **"Sakura! His eyes!" **Inner yelled, and suddenly I remembered. "Masatake-sama..." I whispered before sleep pulled me under.

***Back With Neji!***

I darted forward just as Sakura vanished into thin air. "Naruto!" I shouted, because he out of all of us would be the most worried. But when I faced him he had a blank expression on his face. Slowly, he bent and touched something on the ground, picking it up and staring down at it. "She's fine," He said, sounding a little strangled.

"What?" I demanded, coming over to him. Slowly he stood and let whatever was in his hand drop. "She's with Masatake-sama. She'll be all right." His voice sounded oddly blank, and he turned and continued down the road as if nothing had happened. I bent down to see what he had dropped, and sand coated my fingers. I brushed it off before shrugging and heading off after him. The rest followed behind slowly.

I headed up to Naruto, keeping pace with him. "Masatake-sama?" I questioned. "Her summon. Her head summon, leader of the pride. He reverse summoned her." He sounded frustrated. "Oh." We were silent for a time before I spoke again. "I get the vague feeling that you...dislike this Masatake-sama." Naruto turned and gave me an odd look.

"What's with the sudden curiosity?" He asked a little coldly, and I shrugged. "Just that. Curiosity and nothing more." I heard him grumble something along the lines of 'stupid-genius-prodigy-that-has-to-know-everything'. I thought he wasn't going to answer, so he surprised me by speaking again.

"Masatake-sama...I don't get him. He's powerful, very much so. But he wants something. He always wants something. I mean, you sign a summoning contract; you get the summons, and in return they get your power as well. But not him – he's always wanting more. And he doesn't really like me. He says that I'm too much like my summons, the foxes. They're sort of lazy, almost – I never summon them, and they don't do anything in return. Simple."

"But Masa-sama...he's always got some ulterior move in his head. Sure, Sakura is with him and she won't be harmed. She's safe with him, that I'm sure of. But he wants something from her. What he wants, I have no idea." And then he fell silent and continued on a little faster, and I knew that I would not be getting anything more out of him today.

***Summon Land, With Sakura***

"Hey, sleepy. Get up. Come on, Sakura, wake up." I stirred slightly, the voice penetrating my deep sleep. Then I blinked slowly, a soft-featured face coming into view. The face had eyes like gleaming bronze and soft golden locks that framed her face. "...Yasue?" I murmured. She smiled and nodded, and I slowly sat up.

I lay on a bed that was covered with pillows and soft sheets, and inwardly I sighed. It had been way too long since I had slept in a bed this nice. "Masatake-sama wishes to speak with you," she said formally, and I yawned before rolling out of bed. "Okay. Let's go then." She laughed softly, a laugh that sounded almost like a lion's purr. "Not like that you aren't! Here, put this on and brush your hair." She handed me a beautiful cherry-blossom print kimono and a brush.

"I'll be at the door. Let me know when you're ready." Yasue turned and slipped out of the door, closing it gently behind her. I slipped out of my clothes and struggled into the kimono, getting stuck on the sash. I carefully straightened it before going at my hair with the brush. Being on a mission had killed my beautiful hair. I pulled a spare rubber band out of my bag and put my hair in a bun at the top of my head, hoping to appear at least decent.

Then I walked to the door and pushed gently, letting it swing open. Yasue smiled and nodded at my appearance before leading me down a long hallway to stand before a large golden door, ornately carved with lions. She pushed the door open, bowed and gestured inside. I stepped in and the door swung shut behind me.

I looked straight ahead, and there sat Masatake-sama. He sat, almost sprawled, on a large golden chair that was covered with pillows. He smiled as I came in and gestured towards the floor, where more pillows lay. I obediently sat, folding my legs beneath me.

"Ah, Sakura. We need to talk."

***Back with Naruto***

We made good time getting back to Konoha. After Neji's questioning, it had been silent through the rest of the journey. Even Sasuke-teme was quiet, not bothering to ask anything. But when we arrived at Konoha's gate, everyone was surprised by Sakura standing there. One look at her and I immediately knew something was wrong.

Tears streamed down her face and her eyes were red from crying. "It's Kyo-sensei," She said, throwing herself into my arms and crying uncontrollably. "He's hurt. Bad," She sobbed, and my blood ran cold. "Shh. Shhh. Let's go home, tell me there. Come on..." Quietly I lead her away from everyone else, heading towards our apartment.

**-Flashback (Sakura P.O.V)-**

"As you know, I have many children. One of these children is bound to a mortal form, a human form. You know him as Kyo." Masatake-sama spoke, and I nodded. This was old news. Naruto and I had known for a while that Kyo is Masatake-sama's son.

"At the moment he is not in good health." I was confused. He went on. "He has been injured in battle, quite badly. But his wounds will not kill him; he will live." My breath caught in my chest and a cold dread filled me. "But...what happened? How did this happen?" Masatake-sama silenced me with a look. "I said that his wounds will not kill him. However, if something were to happen to him, then that would change." I spoke. "What are you talking about?", but then he held up a hand to silence me.

"I want you to kill Kyo."

I stopped breathing.

He went on. "Sakura, you are not deserving of the body, of the life you have now! You deserve so much more! Your spirit and mind are that of a lioness, of a demon." I was silent. I was waiting for him say, 'Psyche! I got you good beyatch!' but it just never came. He saw the confusion on my face.

"If you kill Kyo, you will absorb his powers and his demon form, which will turn you into a lioness. You would never age, never feel tired. Your body would stay forever young, and you would only grow wiser and more powerful with each year! Think of it, the wonder of it." His eyes were alight with an excited fury.

"I...I don't know..." I said haltingly, and he nodded. "I can see that my proposal has startled you, and I do not expect an answer immediately. However, I _will_ receive an answer in three days time. I will bring you back here. Be ready with your answer. You are dismissed for now." Yasue was suddenly at my side, gently taking me by the arm and leading me out of the room.

**-End Flashback- **

**Naruto P.O.V.**

I stared at Sakura as she finished speaking. "You're not serious. You can't be. Kill Kyo-sensei...?" I said, aghast. "I'm serious. I just kept waiting for him to say, 'Just kidding!' but it never came," She said miserably, and the tears started again. I just held her and let her cry herself out. That was how Sakura was – if you got the waterworks started, you just had to wait them out.

"Come on lets get you home, neko." I put my arm around her and directed her down the street. "We'll see you later," I said to the others, they watched Sakura's shoulders shake with concern. "Perhaps it would be better if I helped Naruto-san." Lee stepped forward. "No," I said sharply, "This isn't your place, Lee." I pushed Sakura gently, trying to ignore my guilt over Lee's hurt expression.

Once we were back in the apartment, I put our bags away and made Sakura a strong cup of herbal tea. She was still crying, although she was trying her hardest to stop. "Oh g-god! I j-j-just.....I.. Why am I so weak?!" She sobbed out, and I froze. "What're you talking about neko-chan?" I murmured uneasily stroking her back. "Y-you... you never cry... you never give up.... Yukihiko, Izumi, Ami, Lee... Neji you...and Sasuke are always so strong! Why can't I be more like you guys?" She cried, clutching me tightly.

"Sakura you are strong!" I said fiercely. "No I'm not....n-not l-l-like you....I'm always the one who b-breaks d-down and c-c-cries! We're not s-supposed t-to cry r-remember? S-s-sliver d-dragons do-don't cry!" She choked back more sobs, and I pulled her closer into a full embrace. "Sakura that rule... is... it's just... stupid! The only reason we came up with it was to help our grief from Yuki remember? There's no reason why you can't cry; no reason why you can't move on... no reason to stop yourself from falling in love again."

She cried harder now, and didn't stop for a long time, but slowly she did. Once she stopped I picked her up bridal-style and took her to her room, placing her gently on the bed. I tucked her into the covers and moved to leave but Sakura's now hoarse voice said. "I'm sorry for crying all over you, fox-kun...."

"Don't worry about it, I used to do the same all the time remember? When we were little?" I heard her suck in a shaky breath, and mumble yes. I stood in her room a little longer before leaving. I went to my room. I plopped down onto the bed, and sat there for a while. Then I reached over and pulled out the guitar Sakura bought me, and began to slowly pluck the strings. I wasn't amazing at it, and I didn't have a great voice to sing, but I loved playing the guitar.

I found when I was little that music helped me think, it relaxed me. So I continued to pluck the stings slowly humming as I did. My thoughts swirled around my head slowly as I tried to work out a solution. It was obvious that Sakura wouldn't – couldn't – kill Kyo. It was just impossible. We both knew his relationship with her.

Kyo was like a father to her. He had keept an eye on her when her father had been killed, and Sakura looked up to him. My fingers continued to move over the strings, plucking out a tune that I was making up on the spot. And after a time I grew tired, my fingers feeling heavy. I sighed and gently set the guitar down, sliding it back into its case. Then I curled up on my side, closing my eyes. Sleep would help with the problem at hand. I drifted off into darkness.

**-Later-**

I was woken up by Sakura gently shaking my shoulder. "Naruto, wake up. There's food." I sat up, the thought of food being a motivation. I glanced over at Sakura. Her eyes were still rimmed red, but otherwise she looked okay. "You okay?" I asked, and she nodded firmly. "Yes. I'm alright. But come on – you've got to be hungry, because you haven't eaten since we got back. And I know you and food," She said wryly, and I rolled ungracefully off of the bed.

"Is there ramen involved with this food?" I asked as we headed into the kitchen. I made it to the kitchen before she did and darted to the cabinet, pulling out a package of instant ramen. "Apparently there is," Sakura said, heading for the fridge and some real food. I made my ramen and then dropped into a chair to wait. I glanced over at her as I sat.

"What's the plan for tomorrow? Are we going to train or something?" She shrugged. "Kakashi said that he had something he wanted to talk with us about. Didn't say what though, so Kami only knows what he's got planned."

"Hm." I was quiet for a while before I finally had enough guts to ask what had been on my mind. "And...about Masa-sama's proposal...what are we going to do?" I asked quietly. She sighed and sat down next to me. "Nothing. We're not going to do anything. _I'm_ not going to do anything. I am going to tell Masatake-sama that I am not interested in his proposal and that will be that," She said firmly. I smiled slightly at her and then happily ate my ramen, a lighter mood already settling over the both of us.

***Next Day – Sakura P.O.V***

The next morning dawned bright and early as Naruto and I headed to the training area where we were supposed to be meeting Kakashi. Sasuke had beaten us there and he nodded a little awkwardly at us, apparently still confused after yesterday's escapade. "I'm willing to bet that he's gonna be late," Naruto said flatly, and I nodded and suppressed a giggle. "What do you think his excuse will be today? 'An old lady needed help across the street', 'I ran into a black cat, so I had to go the other way' – any suggestions, Sasuke?" I asked.

"No, but I don't think he'll need them," a voice said behind me, and I half-screamed and whirled around. Kakashi stood behind me, a slightly annoyed expression written on his face. "Okay, well, you've got to admit that you are late ninety percent of the time," I muttered as I got a dark look from him. "Anyways, I wanted to talk to you all today about something that will be coming up relatively quickly and that is very important. Any guesses?" He asked, and we all shrugged.

"I wanted to talk to you about the Chunin Exams. I believe that you three are ready to enter. They don't start for a few months, but the entrance forms are due in advance and I figured that you all should know. Now, I think you're ready-" I interrupted him with a peal of laughter. "Yeah right. We are _not_ ready," I told Kakashi mildly, amused by the fact that he thought we were ready. He stared at me. "I would argue otherwise," He started, but I held up a hand to shut him up.

"No we're not and don't say that we are. We can't work as a team, we don't have nearly enough training, and we all hate each other. I think that those three things – amid others – equals not ready," I said point-blank, and I could see that I was ticking Kakashi off. Part of it was that I was right. He sighed, realizing that he had a moot point on his hands. "There's no use talking about this, is there?" He asked, and I shook my head. "Fine then. You three stay and train while I go off and do sensei stuff." And with a puff of smoke, he disappeared.

Sasuke finally spoke. "What the hell? You just threw away an amazing opportunity! Do you know how many rookie teams make it into the Chunin Exams? Practically none! So the fact that Kakashi was going to enter us means that he thought we were ready, that we're strong enough! And you just killed our chance of getting in!" He was seething with anger; I could practically feel it rolling off of him in waves.

"Oh, relax. That was not the only opportunity that we're going to get. He did say that they aren't for another few months. I said that we aren't ready, which is true. But we're not ready _now._ I never said that we won't be ready _later._ So we have until that later to get ready. Understand?" I said. I watched as he slowly realized what I was saying.

"You're suggesting that we train, and if we can train enough, then we'll be ready for the Chunin Exams?" I nodded, clapping slowly. "Congrats! The amazing Uchiha prodigy has figured it out! Slow clap for Sasuke, everyone!" Naruto exaggerated a slow clap with me which made Sasuke flush with anger, but he said nothing. "So when do we start?" He asked, and I sighed. "Okay, first off I return to my third point – we all hate each other. Don't try to tell me otherwise, Mr. Uchiha, because you know it's true. So before we even _think _about training, we need to all get along."

Sasuke and Naruto both groaned at the same time. "You're telling me that I have to spend time with him?" Naruto whined, pointing accusingly towards Sasuke. He snorted. "Quite the opposite. I'm going to have to spend time with you, the witless wonder." Naruto huffed angrily, crossing his arms. "See, this is my point! You two just don't get along," I sighed. "But yes, you're going to have to spend time with each other. I propose we start today by all going out for lunch. And if either of you say something mean about the other, you will both get smacked."

We started off towards the city, leaving the training grounds behind. Naruto and Sasuke bickered quietly behind me as we walked along and I didn't bother to scold them; let them get their frustration out before we got to the restaurant. I observed the scenery as we walked along, noting how the sun that shined seemed to be less warm.

Winter would be on its way soon, I realized. I noticed how the shadows under the trees always seemed longer, and as I looked at one shadow, it almost seemed to move. I blinked and jerked to halt as I realized that it wasn't the shadows that were moving...it was a no-face.

"Naruto," I murmured, stopping him and gesturing towards the no-face. Sasuke stopped, confusion flitting across his face. "No-face," I informed him, and he paused. "Where?" He surprised me by asking, and I gestured to where the no-face was. He stared at the spot, and then sighed in defeat. "I still can't see them," he muttered, disappointed. "I mean, why can't I-" He broke off and his eyes widened. "I-I think I see it."

I was silent, and then a huge grin broke out on my face. "You can? Describe. Tell me what you see," I commanded, and he told me, haltingly. "It's big and dark, but not...evil, you know?" He shook his head, and whether he was confused or astounded I didn't know. "Shall we?" I asked Naruto, taking his hand as he nodded. We walked slowly to the no-face, and as one we bowed respectfully.

"Go on. Your place is not in this world, and it is time for you to move on," Naruto said softly, and as soon as he had finished, I spoke a few words in the spirit words that would send it on. Its body slowly faded and grew dimmer until it just disappeared entirely, and a sound like sighing wind echoed around us. I turned around to see how Sasuke was handling it, and to my surprise, a very small smile had made its way across his face.

"What great miracle has allowed _Uchiha-sama_ to grace us with a smile?" Naruto said in mock awe. Immediately the smile vanished and Sasuke glared. "Shut it dobe!" he sneered. I sighed, not really in the mood to do anything. "I believe, Sasuke, that you can almost see," I said, turning towards him. He looked at me for a while. "What was that you were saying before? To the...thing?"

"No-face," I corrected him. "And it was the spirit words – they're used to help the no-faces pass on peacefully. Everyone learns it so that we can all do our part." He was quiet for a while before he carefully tried to mimic what I had been saying, badly mangling the words of the spirit chant. Naruto burst out laughing, and Sasuke cut off with an embarrassed fury.

"Don't fucking laugh!" He snarled at Naruto, an angry flush spreading over his face. "I'm trying to freaking learn what you're doing – if anything you should be trying to help! Isn't that why you came in the first place, with your stupid sensei? And where the fuck did he go off to, anyways? He just vanished, leaving you two behind with this unstable freak-" Here he pointed accusingly at Naruto, "-And now he's supposedly all hurt? What a great sensei he is," Sasuke sneered, and then my hand smacked across his face. He jerked back, staring angrily.

"Don't you _ever_ fucking say anything about Kyo-sensei again," I hissed, shaking with suppressed rage. "You... you have no right to say anything, anything at all. So just shut up, Sasuke, just shut the fuck up. And I better fucking not _ever_ hear a word about him out of your mouth again, or I will personally cut your tongue off and feed it to you." And with that I turned and whirled, anger burning like a fire in my stomach.

***Naruto P.O.V***

Sasuke looked stung and also surprised by Sakura's outburst. "What the fuck was that all about?" He said frostily, looking towards me for an answer. I returned his glance just as coldly and remained silent. He sighed, frustrated. "Oh come on. Just fucking tell me. Really, what's the big deal over your sensei? I mean-" I cut him off with an angry glare. "She was right. Don't you say anything about Kyo-sensei. Because to her...He was more than just a sensei."

* * *

**A.N: Hello there! We're so proud because we've finally got some activity and that means we got three chapters up in less than a month...yay us :) Anyways YOU NEED TO GO VOTE IN OUR POLL. SERIOUSLY. GO DO IT. Because it's an important poll and it will affect the outcome of What We See. SO GO NOW. OR ELSE...BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN. **

**--lol for this chapter I totally had to steal a bunch of kitsunegirl2's stuff to make her write, it was fun....... VOTE -Kitsunegirl1 ^.^**

**S-she stole my Bleach manga....;-; -sob- But I've got it back now. -Kitsunegirl2  
**

**Read and review like always :)**

**-Kitsunegirls**


	17. Secrets and Memories

Secrets and Memories

***Naruto P.O.V***

Sasuke stared at me, confused, and I took the opportunity to go after Sakura, tracing her chakra back to the apartment. When I made it to our door, I slowly opened the door which had been left unlocked (a very un-Sakura thing to do). "Sakura-chan?" I kept my voice soft as I called for her. I found her alone in her dark room curled up in a corner trembling slightly. "Hey Neko... forget about what Sasuke said.... he just an-"

"Don't... please just leave... I just need some time alone. Please just go..." Her voice was trembling, and I forced myself to move away, ignoring the hurt I felt. "Alright...if that's what you want..." I whispered this, but I doubt she heard me. Slowly I left the room, and then the apartment. It felt so _wrong_ to leave her there. It was like I developed another instinct solely dedicated to taking care of Sakura, but if she needed her space I would give it to her.

Kicking a stone out of my path, I found myself in front of a familiar building - The Kohona Youth Shinobi Acadamy. Fucking academy. Fucking teachers. Fucking dumb-ass hateful shit-faced drunks. "Fuck this shit," I sneered not realizing I had spoken aloud. "Naruto! Must you use that language out loud?" I turned and saw the Sandaime walking towards me. "Yeah, actually I do," I retorted hotly, but that didn't seem to bother him.

"Come. Walk with me," He ordered, and I was tempted to tell him off and run, but at the same time I needed to talk to someone and who better than the great and wise third Hokage? "Fine," I grumbled and fell into the same stride as him as we walked. "Naruto... is there something bothering you?"

"There's always something bothering me, old man." I replied with a sigh, and it was pretty true. There always was something wrong happening. "Would you like to talk about it?" I sighed and rolled my eyes; that was the Third for you, the kind grandparent that everyone had and didn't always want. He was good in these types of situations, though. "Might as well," I mumbled. "So...our sensei, Kyo – you remember him?" I waited until the old man had nodded before I went on.

"He's injured, badly. It's not looking good on his end and Sakura's really upset over it. On top of that her psycho head summon offered her this deal that if she killed Kyo then she would become a lioness. She's going to say no, obviously, but it's still got her really upset. And to add to that, Sasuke-bastard decided to be a total asshole and talk shit about Kyo. Oh, sorry," I said hastily, realizing that I had just sworn three times in front of him. He only nodded slowly, waving a hand in dismissal of my apology. "Go on."

I sighed and continued. "See, she was upset to begin with and then Sasuke just made everything worse because he's so ignorant when it comes to these things. He's missed the fact that Sakura is so close to Kyo, closer than just a sensei and student. Kyo was like a father to her. He took over when her father was killed, which I suppose was a big step. Her dad and Kyo were really close and then when he died – it was like Kyo was there all along. Even though she was upset about her dad, she just accepted him right away, with no questions."

"It was just – dad's not coming back, but Kyo is going to be here instead, and she said, 'Yeah, that's okay.' And then they were always together, between lessons and whatnot. I think she may even be closer with him that she was with her dad. And now for her stupid summon to tell her to kill him – that's like asking her to kill me, but worse! And he's hurt, so she's reliving her dad's death all over again. It's hard on her, which makes it hard on me." I sighed, trying to let out of my pent-up frustration and internal exhaustion. What I had said was true; it was hard on me to see Sakura suffer.

"I can't offer a solution to your problem. You know that. And I can see that this is not something for me to meddle in. But I trust that you will work something out, Naruto. You always managed to figure something out." The Third smiled down at me and I felt better being able to confide in him. "Thanks, I guess. I'm going to head home." I waved slightly as I turned and started back towards the apartment, leaving the Third behind.

***Sakura P.O.V***

After lying curled in a ball under the covers for a while, I finally decided that the cramping in my side was a little too painful to ignore. With a groan I uncurled and stretched out, doing a full-body stretch from my toes all the way up to my fingers. I rolled stiffly off of my bed, landing awkwardly on the ground. I stood and headed out of my room, not entirely sure where I was going. I was in the hallway when I noticed that the door to Kyo-sensei's bedroom was open. I had never seen his private rooms before, and my curiosity was too strong to pass up an opportunity like this.

I backtracked and slowly stepped into his room, glancing over it and taking in the plain walls and simple bed. It was pretty devoid of any personal touches, except for the trunk that sat at the end of the bed. There was a lock on it but it was currently open, so I headed over to see what was inside. It occurred to me while I was lifting the top of the trunk that it was a little odd for me to be snooping; but at the moment I really couldn't care less. Inside the trunk was a bunch of old pictures, along with a few other items that I didn't bother with.

I took out the stacks of pictures, and as I lifted them away a worn-looking brown book was revealed underneath them. Curious, I picked it up and set it down on the bed, next to the pictures. I sat down on the bed and started looking over all the pictures. I blinked in surprise when I realized that they were pictures of me, my mother and father. Here was a shot of my parents, probably before I had came along. In another shot I was laughing in my father's arms while my mother laughed as well and leaned against him.

I peered closer at it and noticed that standing behind my father was Kyo, smiling as he looked on. I looked back at the first picture, and on the edge of the picture was Kyo again. I started going through more pictures, and sure enough, Kyo was in almost every one of them, weather in the background or the main focus of the picture, he was there. After I finished going through the pictures I finally turned to the small brown book.

I opened it to the first page and almost dropped it in shock. Inside was written a name in the bottom corner; the name was Natsumi Shinigami, the name of my mother. With shaking fingers I gently turned the page and flicked through a few pages until I reached a date that would put my age as just about one. The entry read:

_Today Sakura took her first steps; not towards me or my husband, but towards Kyo. I am not saddened by this; rather, I am happy that she trusts him enough to take her first steps towards him. I am proud of my little Sakura. When she reached Kyo she looked up at him and smiled and then promptly fell over, which made us all laugh. She walked a little more later, this time to me..._

The entry went on, talking about the rest of her day and a little more about me. I flickered through more pages until I came to a picture that was of me when I was two or maybe three. The entry underneath was shorter than some of the others I had passed.

_Sakura let Kyo pick her up for the first time today. She has never let him do that before and it surprised us all when she held out her arms to him. Kyo himself was very, very pleased, although he hid it well. _

I smiled slightly at the picture that was above it; I was in Kyo's arms, laughing, and he had an expression of surprised delight written across his face. But then the smile dropped from my face and I hastily turned the page, trying to ignore the hurt that I felt looking at the picture. I flickered through the diary a bit more, and when I glanced over any writing most of them involved me. The diary went up until my fifth birthday, and then it stopped rather abruptly.

I closed the book and replaced it in Kyo's trunk. I looked over all of the pictures again before those too were replaced in the trunk. I was careful to try and put them back right where I had gotten them, because I didn't want anyone to know that I had been snooping. I finally left Kyo's room, heading out towards the kitchen. My stomach was empty but I didn't think I'd be able to eat anything, so I just sat down at the table, staring at nothing. My mind began to wander, and a sudden memory invaded my mind.

---Flashback---

Narrative P.O.V.

"_Kyo-chan!!!" the tiny toddler called. "What is it Sakura?" Kyo inquired in his calm deep monotone voice. "I wan go up!" A soft smile lit his face as he picked up the three year old. She always made this demand whenever she saw him. Sakura threw her arms around his neck, and placed a very sloppy but affectionate kiss on his cheek, and promptly fell into babbling something about candy pirates. "An then – Kyo, are you listenen?" Sakura poked him in the cheek and the caramel-haired man gently batted her hand away. "Yes, Sakura, I'm listening. Please go on."_

_ Satisfied with his answer, she smiled and continued. "An then, you know what the pirate did? He wend and fighted the ninjas! But you know what? Da ninjas beated him!" She burst into laughter and Kyo smiled as he carried her away. _

---End flashback---

I sighed as the memory faded away – I was actually a little surprised that I remembered that far back. What I didn't remember was what the pirate was...maybe a book or a story I had been told. I remembered another memory, this time from when I was older.

---Flashback (again!)---

"_Um...Kyo?" A five year old Sakura peered tentatively into the living room, hanging back in the hallway. Kyo turned and spotted her, and his brow furrowed. "Sakura? What are you doing up so late? How come you're not in bed?" Sakura looked down at her feet, abashed. "I...I had a bad dream and now I can't sleep," She whispered, looking more upset with herself than she did with his reprimands. Kyo was silent. "Come here," He said finally, and Sakura hesitantly walked out from behind the wall and over to stand in front of him. "Here," Kyo said, reaching down and pulling her onto his lap. She looked up at him with wide green eyes, her bottom lip trembling. "Do you want to tell me about it?" Kyo asked gently, and as if that were the okay, Sakura burst into tears and buried her face in his shoulder. _

_"It-it was so scary!" She sobbed, clinging to his arm. "Th-there were no-faces, a-a-and daddy t-tried to fight t-t-them, but he c-couldn't, and then he d-disappeared, and...It was s-so horrible!" She cried, sobbing in his arms. "Shhh, it's okay now. It was just a dream, see? It's not real. You're alright." Kyo gently stroked her hair, rocking her until her sobs quieted down to small hiccups. After a time the hiccups subsided and she fell silent, her mouth hanging open as she fell asleep again. Kyo smiled and gently carried her back to her room, setting her down on her bed and pulling the covers over her._

---End flashback---

I set my head down on the table as the memory faded. My hair pooled around me, the long pink strands tangled and a little messy. My hair was so long, I realized; it fell down to just above my waist. It hadn't been cut since I was a little kid. On a sudden impulse I got up and headed over to the drawer that was next to the fridge. I pulled it open and spotted the pair of scissors that lay on top of the other assorted junk that cluttered the drawer. I decided that it was time for a change.

Heading to the bathroom, I stood in front of the mirror while holding the scissors. Slowly and carefully, I reached back and closed the scissors. _Snip._ I never knew the sound of scissors cutting hair sounded so...relaxing. _Snip. Snip. Snip._ Down fell locks of my pink hair, landing on the floor in a small pile. I looked in the mirror, and my hair now sat just above my shoulders, shorter in the back but the parts in the front longer. I reached up and gently touched my hair, setting the scissors down on the sink counter. I never realized how much I looked like my mother until I had cut my hair to the same length as hers.

I picked up all of the hair that I had cut and dropped it in the trash, closing the lid on top of it. I stood and headed back to Kyo's room with the intention to look for more pictures of my mother, but all I could find was another small black notebook. Curious, I picked it up and sifted through it. To my surprise, this journal belonged to Kyo. I started back in the beginning of the book. Most of the entries were nondescript and depicted daily happenings. But I stopped when I noticed the wood 'Haruno' on one page. I started reading at the top.

_It's been three months since the day that my father killed Sayu Haruno._

I actually dropped the book in shock. Sayu Haruno...she was the founder of the Haruno clan! The first Haruno! How did Kyo know her, and how was Masatake-sama involved in her death?

_I try to suppress my feelings of anger towards my father over something that happened three months ago, but I cannot forgive him for what he has done. When I look at him all I see is blood on his hands. I care not that I am bound to a human form, or that my power has been nearly all destroyed. The fact that my love is dead is what grieves me the most. _

His love?! Kyo and Sayu were lovers?! When did this happen?! He had never, in all the years that I knew him, mentioned anything about Sayu Haruno or even having a lover. This left many questions circulating through my head. Masatake-sama had killed her, but how and why I didn't know. I needed to know, and I knew that I couldn't ask Masatake what had happened. I also knew that I couldn't wait and ask Kyo either.

There was only one place that would have the answer...the village.

I knew right away that I had to go and go now. I ran to my room, dropping Kyo's book on the floor as I moved. I grabbed my pack and shoved a few kunai and extra clothes inside, and then ran to the kitchen, added a few non-perishable foods, and Yuki's sword. I grabbed the notepad and scribbled a quick note to Naruto before I was out the door, slamming it behind me.

***Naruto P.O.V***

The door was actually locked when I finally came back to the apartment, and it took me a minute to find my key and get it unlocked. I carefully opened the door and stepped inside, locking it behind me. "Sakura?" I called softly, dropping my keys on the table. There was no answer, but I hadn't really been expecting one. I headed into the hallway and knocked gently on her door. "Sakura, can I come in?" I asked through the door, but there was no answer here either.

"Please let me in?" I said softly but there was only silence again. I frowned and waited outside her door. "I'm coming in, whether you like it or not," I grumbled, opening the door and stepping inside. I stopped, seeing that the room was empty. "Ooooookay..." I muttered, turning and walking back into the hallway. I noticed that Kyo's door was open but dismissed the idea; there was no way that Sakura would be in there. I headed back into the kitchen, feeling more frustrated. Where the hell was she? On the table I finally noticed that there was a note. With a twinge of annoyance I picked it up and read it.

_Naruto-_

_I'm sorry to just leave you like this, but there are some things I have to do, a few questions that must be answered. Please take care of the house and go to training. Behave and don't get into any fights with Sasuke. I'll be back as soon as I can. _

_Love, Sakura_

I slammed the notepad down on the table and swore violently, snatching my keys and my pack and bolting from the room. "Damnit, Sakura! Why the fuck did you leave? Damn it all!" I slammed the door behind me and stormed out into the street. I was going after her, that was for sure. But I was getting some help. I ran as fast as I could to Gai's training ground – I knew that they would help me, of all people. I burst into their training area and very promptly crashed into Neji. "Aw-fuck, get off!" I snarled, pushing him away.

He stood and glared at me. "What are you doing, you moron?" He hissed, and I returned the glare and moved on, ignoring him. I guess he didn't like being ignored because he came after me, clearly frustrated. "What. Are. You. Doing?" I made my way over to Gai, who was standing besides Lee and Tenten. "Gai-san, I need your help," I said, pushing Neji out of my way. He stopped talking and turned. "Ah, so you have realized that the power of youth cannot be achieved on your own! I am proud of you, Naruto, so now we can achieve youth together! Now-"

"Sakura's gone and I have to find her. She just left-" Neji interrupted me. "She'll be back soon enough. You're getting worked up over nothing. So relax." I whirled on him with an angry hiss. "I will not relax! This is serious, damnit, why won't anyone listen to me!" I stumbled and then tripped, landing hard on my side. I sat the right way and put my head in my hands, feeling utterly hopeless. A gentle hand touched my shoulder. "Naruto, what happened?" I looked up to see Tenten, looking genuinely concerned.

"Sakura left. She just up and left. She's gone and I don't know where she went, but I have to find her. I can't just leave her." She frowned, straightening up and glancing over at Gai. "I think we should go with him," She said, and Lee jumped into the conversation. "Yes! I agree! I must go help my Sakura-san if she is lost! We should all go!"

Neji made a face. "I don't see what this is all about. If she left on her own then I don't understand why we should go after her." I stood angrily, growling at him. "Because I said so, that's why," I spat, turning to Gai. "Please, Gai-san. Please come with." He was silent before he nodded, and I brightened. "Thank you," I said sincerely, turning and heading out of the training grounds.

First we would pack and prepare.

Then, we would look for Sakura.

---Later---

Kakashi looked around the empty training grounds. "Where the hell is my team?"

* * *

**A.N: This was a pretty serious chapter, so I just had to add that last little bit with Kakashi to lighten it up a bit. xD And it worked right? Uh so I think these side-of-the-main-plot chapters are just us trying to A) come up with some good stuff for you guys, B) add some nice plot twitsts, and C) avoid writing the Chunin Exams. they're gonna be a pain in the ass to write. But we hope you enjoyed the chapter! inner sakura will be making an appearance pretty quickly as well.**

**-kitsunegirls**


	18. Help From Someone Unexpected

Chapter 18: Help From Someone Unexpected

'_Okay, Sakura, just keep running...we're almost half way there, see? It's not such a bad run if you're running for your life, because someone has got to be tailing you...speaking of which, I'm ninety-nine percent sure that Naruto's coming after me, if not more people than just him. I mean, really, he couldn't expect to catch up to me on his own, because we both know that I'm the better ninja when it comes to tracking...'_

_'He might actually be more powerful than I am, though, I've got to admit – his own power combined with nine tails makes him a pretty formidable opponent when he gets riled up...he probably is all upset, I wish that I didn't have to do that to him, I wish he could have come...speaking of others coming along, I wonder if Sasuke went with him? Or maybe Kakashi? Nah, I doubt either of them...Kakashi probably made up some dumb excuse and didn't figure my disappearance was a big deal, and Sasuke's too much of an ass to care about me...urgh, asses, damn Masatake-sama! What the hell is he hiding? _

_'He knows something, I know it, but...there's just no way that he'd tell, and – oh shit, I'm supposed to meet with him again tomorrow, oh damn – how am I going to do that? I...I just can't...I don't even know if I can face him at the moment. Faces...no-faces...we haven't seen any violent ones for a while, that's good...I can only hope that none come around while I'm away with Naruto gone as well...the village would be in some deep shit if there was an attack...but it's not like I could stay there, I had questions, they need to be answered...'_

_**'Hey, Sakura! Wake up! I doubt that you've even realized that we're being tailed!' **_Inner shrieked at me with impatience; she didn't really like what I was doing, all the running away and snooping. Now that I had been (rather rudely) pulled out of my thoughts, I realized that she was right – I could feel the chakra presence that was tailing us. I could tell they were being very careful to mask their chakra, but to me it stood out bright as day. I had always been pretty good at finding chakra signatures.

That made it odd that I didn't recognize whose chakra it was, at least not from this distance; but as soon as they were close enough I'd figure out who it was and then, regardless, give them the slip. There was no way that anyone was taking me back, not when I was this close. Not even Naruto could make me come back by my own will – he'd have to tie me up and drag me back to Konoha, screaming all the way. And I knew that he would do it, too, which was an annoyance.

I slowed my pace slightly so that whoever was trailing me would come close enough so that I could figure out who they were – depending on the person, my means of evasion would have to differ. It wasn't Naruto, that was for sure – I could tell his chakra a mile and a half away, not to mention that he was absolute crap at suppressing and hiding his chakra. I slowed down even more, to which Inner responded with some annoyance. _**'Ne, Sakura – do you want to get caught? Slow down any more and that's what's gonna happen,'**_ She said grumpily, but I knew that the words were for my safety only.

_'I'll be careful,'_ I promised, and then I stopped and darted up and into a tree, backing into the leaves and branches so as to hide myself well. The chakra came closer and closer, until I knew that in a moment I would be seeing the owner, and a moment later said person came flying through the trees, landing neatly on the ground beneath my hiding spot. My breath caught in my throat and I almost fell out of the tree in shock.

Neji stood on the ground below, veins lining his eyes that showed the use of the Byakugan. My own eyes widened as he glanced around the clearing. What...what was he doing here? What the hell was he doing here? Him, of all people! A moment later I knew the answer – Naruto had gone to Team Gai for help, and it was pretty obvious that he had gotten that help. Argh, damnit! Adding Neji to the equation was not in my plans! With a small hiss of annoyance I dropped out of the tree, landing silently on the ground. I was just about to take one step forward when I felt cool metal at my throat and a voice in my ear. "Don't move."

Summoning as much hatred as I could into my voice, I asked, "So this is what you've stooped to – threatening a friend, Hyuuga?" The hand around my neck loosened slightly and I heard Neji speak again. "I believe that we are rivals, Haruno. Last time I checked you hated my guts." I made a grab for his hand, but he easily blocked with his other hand, which was what I had been hoping for. With both of his hands busy I slammed myself backwards and into him, jerking my head back into his face with a lot of force. And like I had predicted he let go pretty easily, letting me dart away.

I stopped and looked back at him – he had one hand pressed to his nose, which was currently pouring blood. He glared at me, and I stuck out my tongue in response. "Naruto didn't want any of us to hurt you, but if you're not going to come quietly..." "Like hell I'm not!" I retorted, feeling touched inside that even though I had up and left him, even though I had betrayed his trust, Naruto was still wiling to forgive me so easily. Neji's face didn't change, but he pulled his hand away from his nose, which was still dripping.

_**'Aw, Sakura, you've ruined his beauty!' **_Inner moaned, and I let out a crow of laughter in my head. "I hope you remember that last time we fought I won," Neji commented calmly, and I glared back at him, coming back to the present. "I hope you remember that last time we fought, I would have won if it weren't for my slight...hindrance," I shot back. "But there's nothing stopping me now."

Neji remained impassive. He slid into a fighting stance and I mirrored his actions and asked, "So...how did you manage to find me? And how did you mask your chakra like that? I noticed you a while off – you weren't hiding your chakra very well, but I didn't recognize the signature even though I should have. How did you do that?"

He smirked slightly. "You can be pretty dense sometimes for being so smart. It was my intention that you noticed that I was following you, because then that way you wouldn't notice that I turned around after you saw me the first time. When I turned around I hid my chakra completely, and you didn't notice me when I snuck around and behind you. You missed that one straight on." I flushed slightly, angry that I had missed a pretty obvious trick.

I had just opened my mouth to speak when Neji moved, darting forward, and his hand lighting up with blue colored chakra. I leaped up and out of the way, but he slid neatly to a stop and kicked off the ground, jumping after me. I kicked out at him, but he lashed out at my leg and his hand hit its mark. I felt chakra points along my leg seal up and I let out a grunt as we fell back to the ground. I landed a little awkwardly and I hadn't been on the ground for a moment before I had to duck under Neji's kick.

"Earth Style: Shielding Vines," I said, slamming my hand into the ground. Large vines shot out of the ground, forming a wall between Neji and me, and a moment later his fist slammed into the wall. The vines didn't break, but I could see small cracks of stress appearing where he had hit. They wouldn't hold out much longer, I knew, but the purpose of the jutsu was mostly for a distraction to be able to buy yourself some time. "Earth Style: Blooming Razors," I shouted as the vines finally shattered under Neji's fists. Cherry blossoms swirled around me before shooting towards Neji. He was unprepared for the attack and I saw him wince as the razor-sharp blossoms cut his skin, leaving shallow gouges on his face and hands.

"You'll have to do better than that, Haruno," Neji said, turning into a blur as he darted away. A moment later his fist slammed into my side and sent me flying, crashing into one of the nearest trees. I picked myself up gingerly, wincing as I felt the now-sealed chakra points along my side. "Tenshi Style: Piercing Arrow!" I shouted, letting my chakra take the familiar bow shape in my hands. As soon as it was formed I loosed the arrow, sending it flying towards Neji. He darted neatly aside, shaking his head.

"You've used that on me before, so it's not going to work anymore," He said with something of an air of arrogance, which only made me angrier. "Earth Style: Living Blade!" I screamed, my right arm suddenly feeling very heavy as my chakra condensed around it, drawing stone and earth to turn my arm into a hard, sword-like appendage. He wanted to get violent? Fine. That was just fine with me. I ran towards him and slashed at him, which he easily avoided. However, I had been anticipating his move – the slash was just to get him to move the way I wanted him to.

"Earth Style: Binding Vines!" I shouted, and long green vines shot out of the ground and wrapped themselves around his arms and legs, trapping him in place. These vines were chakra-immune and could only be called back by the user of the jutsu. They were a sort of sister jutsu to the Shielding Vines, but unlike their sister they were very strong. Neji struggled against his bindings and I darted towards him, swinging my sword-arm forward and bringing it down on his arm.

There was a sickening crack and he let out a pained gasp, his eyes going wide as they flitted to mine. Disbelief lingered in his pale eyes. "Sakura...what are you doing?" I realized with a jolt that it was the first time he had ever addressed me by my first name, but I shoved the thought away. "You are not going to stop me. You...you can't stop me! I'm not going to let you, or anyone else, stop me! I have to get those answers. I...I have to know..." I swayed and sank to my knees, my head in my hands. The Living Blade jutsu faded from my right arm.

"I have to find Kyo and I have to get those answers... I can't let anyone stop me...no one can stop me! I...I just can't..." I broke off, drawing a shuddering breath. Suddenly it was as if all of the events of the past few days came crashing down, and I suppressed a sob. Why was everyone against me? Why couldn't they just let me go and get my damn answers? "I just need...I need Kyo-sensei..." I sobbed aloud now, my body shuddering as I cried. I fell to my knees and half curled up hugging my knees to my chest.

"What the...Sakura what the hell are you blabbering on about?"

"Shut up! Y-you don't... don't un-understand anything!"

"Then help me understand."

My vision was blurred as I looked at him, I should have been mad at his demand, but that softness in his voice...the gentle understanding was so soothing to my aching heart. I sobbed harder, not even realizing that I had released my jutsu until Neji's warm hand was on my back awkwardly rubbing gentle circles on my clothed back. I expected him to push me into revealing my relationship with Kyo-sensei but he didn't, he remained quiet through my sobs.

"Sakura...we should go, the rain is getting worse." Neji gently pulled me to my feet, and directed me through the trees as I looked around in a foggy haze; when had it begun to rain? How had I not realized until now that my clothes, hair, and Neji were soaking wet. I wiped my face in a futile attempt to dry off. Thunder began to boom overhead as lightning flashed and slowly it came faster and faster until Neji cursed softly. "Sakura, we have to find shelter, the storm is getting too dangerous to try to get back."

I mumbled something incoherent to us both, my mind and body too numb to function properly. He pulled me along, and what felt like hours later, we reached a small makeshift cave, which Neji pulled me under almost immediately. There wasn't much room inside, but I couldn't bring myself to care that I was sitting next to my rival. I just curled up again, and remained silent, until my brain could finally allow me to say, "I'm so sorry..." My voice was so soft that I thought Neji couldn't hear me until I looked up and saw his eyes upon me.

He didn't use his voice to speak, but his eyes were different.

They looked at me sharply with that inquisitive gaze of his. I lowered my eyes again. "I shouldn't have left...it was stupid...I'm so stupid..." I whispered. "I just can't...I don't wanna lose him...I'm so scared that I'll never see him again..." Emotion welled inside me again. "...Kyo-san?" Neji asked, I nodded. More silence ensued.

"Why? Why is he so important to you?"

"Because...he was always there for me." As I gazed into silver orbs, I saw the silent prodigy's command:_ explain_. "Kyo-sensei was a very good friend of my father, and I can't remember a time when he wasn't over at my house. I remember being told by my mother that Kyo was the first one I walked to. And when my parents died he stepped in and took care of me, he was always there for me when I needed him. I can't imagine what would happen if I lost him I just.... I can't even think about that...." I swallowed back more tears. "I suppose I'm just being overly emotional, right?"

"No, I...know what it's like...to lose someone like that...it's not....weak to be scared of losing someone that close to you." I sobbed softly as he finished speaking. Neji gently placed his hand on my back again, and I couldn't stop myself from throwing my arms around his neck and holding him tight. He stiffened, but returned my sudden embrace. God, he smelled so nice, everything about him was nice.

"Neji...do you hate me?" I finally asked, after my sobbing had finished. He was quiet for a long time – at least it felt like a long time. "I...I, um..." He paused and started again. "No." I sighed deeply, relishing in the feel of his arms. Speaking of arms... I pulled back, gently laying a hand on the arm that I had broken. "I'm sorry," I said quietly, leaning back into him. "It's okay. I don't hate you." I let out a weak laugh at his very bad joke. "At least let me heal you," I said, my hand lighting up with green chakra.

"I don't..." I silenced his protest by putting a finger over his lips. He went silent very fast, and I could have sworn that I saw him blush. But in the half-gloom of the rain, I couldn't be exactly sure. I gently placed my hand over his arm and let the healing jutsu do its work. I pulled back after a moment, my hands resting in my lap. "We should go back," Neji said after a moment, and I stiffened slightly.

"Sakura. You have to. You can't just run off whenever you feel like it. And besides that, you have people that will help. Naruto didn't run off when you told him what had happened, no? You have no reason, and, in my opinion, no right to just take off and leave everyone behind." I didn't like what Neji was saying, but there was truth in his words.

"Okay. Okay, we'll go back. Just...don't tell anyone else what I told you." He nodded and stood, offering a hand to help me up. I accepted it and pulled myself up, swiping a hand across my face to wipe away any last remnants of tears. It was a bit redundant, though, seeing that as soon as we stepped out of the cave the rain splattered onto my face again. I shivered slightly – with the rain had come a chill and a blowing wind. "Where is everyone else?" I asked as I followed after Neji, who was heading confidently through the trees.

"Back a ways. We all split up and agreed to meet back at a checkpoint after a few hours. My guess is that by the time that we get back to the checkpoint it'll be just about when we agreed to meet. It is a bit of a walk, though. Are you sure that you're up for it?" He glanced back at me, concern crossing his face. "N-no, I can make it," I replied, feeling blood rush to my cheeks.

_**'See, Sakura? He really does care. What have I told you all along?' **_ I was surprised when Inner spoke, sounding smug and confident. _'Okay, okay, so you were right. Big deal,'_ I muttered back. _**'Ahahaaa, you enjoyed every minute of your 'alone time' in that cave, didn't you! When his arms were around you, holding you tightly against him...' **_She played back the scene in my head at a view as if someone had been watching from outside. I blushed as it played back in my head – we had been really....close.

_'Alright, enough!' _I snapped, annoyed that she couldn't let the subject drop. _'I get it, yeah, we were close! Now just shut up about it! I'm not in the mood for your crap right now. So just shove off.' _ Inner abruptly went quiet, and I sighed inwardly at the now-peaceful quiet. Neji and I walked through the trees in silence, but it wasn't awkward, compared to what it normally would have been. After an hour or so of walking we emerged into a clearing in the trees.

"This is the spot," Neji said, walking into the center. It had stopped raining, but the ground was still wet. I couldn't have cared less as I dropped to the ground, tired and wanting nothing more than to just sit down for a minute. Silence settled down on us for a few minutes before I finally managed to open my mouth. "...Neji?" I asked quietly, and he turned to face me upon hearing his name. "...Thank you," I murmured, resting my head on my knees.

I couldn't see his face, but I could hear the confusion in his voice when he asked, "What for?" I took some time before giving him my answer. "For bringing me back. I...what I did was stupid, you were right. And I shouldn't have just run off like that. So...thanks for putting some sense into me."

"Well...you're welcome, then," He said, still sounding a little confused but accepting nonetheless. There was quiet again and then suddenly something touched my arm. I looked up to see Neji, his hand gently resting on my shoulder. "Sakura? Can I tell you something?" He asked, sounding unsure and a little doubting. I blinked in surprise and shrugged. "Go for it," I said. He had just opened his mouth to speak when suddenly someone came bursting through the trees. There was a flash of yellow and then something tackled into me, knocking me onto my back.

"You moron!" Naruto shouted, pinning me down. "Why did you do that?! You...never, ever, _and I mean it,_ never do that again!" He rolled off and into a sitting position, pressing a hand to his face. A moment later Sasuke emerged from the trees, looking wet and sulky. He spotted me and his eyes narrowed. "Dumbass," He called, but I didn't bother to reply. Naruto lifted his head and I could see the worry that still lingered in his eyes.

"You...you scared the shit out of me when you just left like that. You were so upset and then I came back and you were gone...not telling me where you went...you really scared me, Sakura, you really did. Don't...don't ever pull any shit like that again, you hear me?"

I nodded and crawled over to him, wrapping my arms around him. "I'm sorry," I said simply. "I really am. And I have no good excuses. So I'm sorry." He leaned into my hug for a moment longer before pulling away. "I won't ask about why you took off. I know that you'll tell me when you're ready to. So I'm not going to press." I smiled at his unquestionable understanding.

"Here come Green Spandex One and Green Spandex Two," Sasuke drawled from his position by the trees, and a second later Lee and Gai came bursting through the trees. "Sakura-san! You have been found! I am most pleased that you are unharmed and reunited with us!" Lee came bounding over, bursting with joy. I smiled and stood up, nodding to Gai who was standing back but still just about to burst with cries of youth. Lee started blabbering about youth, and while he was doing so Tenten came up behind me.

"Sakura!" She said, smiling slightly. "I'm glad that you're back," She went on, and I smiled back at her kindness. I glanced around, realizing that we were missing someone out of the two teams. "Where's Kakashi?" I asked Naruto, who let out a bark of laughter. "Probably wondering where the hell we are," He said, sounding amused. I shook my head.

"You mean he didn't come with? You didn't even tell him?" I asked, and Naruto nodded, laughing. "That's going to be...fun to explain," I grumbled with a sigh. Sasuke only 'hned' and continued to look bored. It was only then that I remembered Neji, who was standing a ways off to the side. I walked over to him and pulled him slightly aside from everyone else.

"What was it that you wanted to tell me?" I asked, and he looked uncomfortable. "It was nothing. Never mind." He turned and walked away, leaving me staring after him and wondering what he had been planning on saying. "We should head back," Naruto said, tugging gently on my arm. "I'll be with you in a sec," I told him, rooted to the spot. He looked at me carefully and then turned and followed after Sasuke the rest of them.

But I remained behind, pondering what on earth Neji had wanted to tell me.

* * *

**A.N: Hello again! With the start of August now upon us, it brings a few things. For Kitsunegirl2, family from out of the country and a trip to her grandparents who lack the internet, along with marching band four days a week! For Kitsunegirl1, weeks of boredom when Kitsunegirl2 can't come over, also with marching band four days a week! What a lovely combination, no? **

**Out-of-country family + a bored Kitsunegirl1 + hardcore marching band = NO PRODUCTION!**

**If you don't understand a word of what we're saying, here it is in plain english: we're not gonna be very productive and therefore you probably won't get many updates. Marching EATS our time and then before you know it it will be september. September ushers in a new era of sadistic children-hating teachers and lots of homework! Yippee! Less production!**

**So...enjoy this update while you can, because there probably won't be many more for a while. Yay for some NejiSaku fluff! See, he really does care... ;D**

**-Kitsunegirls**


	19. Authors Note Update

**Authors Note: **Hey all, we've got some mildly sad news for you. What We See is officially going on hiatus. Why? Because looking back at it, on some of the earlier chapters – and even some of the newer chapters – we realize that some of it is just ridiculous and plain stupid. The storyline has gotten too out there and we've got too many OCs clogging it up. The story needs a re-write, basically, but we're not sure how long that may be. We apologize to all our readers.

-Kitsunegirls


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